More mourners have visited the site that claimed the lives of five teenage boys after Saturday night's horror crash near Timaru.
The five boys were killed after the overloaded car they were travelling in smashed into a power pole at the Seadown Rd and Meadows Rd intersection in Washdyke just before 7:30pm. One of the victims was in the car's boot.
The only survivor was the 19-year-old driver, who was seriously injured and is now in hospital.
Police released the names of the five teens killed earlier on Monday. They were Niko Hill, Javarney Drummond, Jack Wallace, Andrew Goodger, and Joseph McCarthy, who were all from Timaru and all aged 15 or 16 years old.
Mourners visited the crash site on Monday to try and understand what went so wrong.
"I just can't believe it still, it's like a bad dream or something but they're gone too soon," says Riley Payne.
"It doesn't really feel real. It hasn't really sunk in," adds Hannah van Emmenis.
Crowds of people paid their respects, all united in their grief.
"All that went through my head was that Andrew rang an hour before all this happened and I should've answered the phone," says Shyann Fleming.
Bree Wood says she was invited to join the teens on the drive but didn't go. Then a friend called her at 1am to tell her what happened.
"I just shut down, cried for four hours, couldn't sleep, didn't really want to do anything," she says.
"I tried calling Andrew about eight times and then I woke up and just tried again and again and again, and even being here doesn't even feel like they are gone."
Police say the boys were travelling in a car which was not only overloaded but travelling too fast and with alcohol on board.
"Any death leaves a mark and I think this one leaves a bigger mark than most, not because of the number of deaths but it's more because of the ages, the loss of life, the needless loss of so many young lives," says Aoraki area commander Dave Gaskin.
A car event is being organised for Friday night to pay tribute to the lives lost, but police are warning against people attending it for fear of more harm.
"A lot of people make silly decisions and get away with it. Unfortunately, these young men haven't and a lot of people don't. And the effects last with their families forever. People never get over it," Gaskin says.
