'Aotearoa two' remembered in Tongan memorial service for bus crash victims

Wounded survivors were among crowds that gathered at a memorial service tonight for two Tongan band members killed in a tragic Christmas Eve bus crash.

Student Sione Taumalolo, 11, and Talita Moimoi Fifita, 33, were killed when a bus carrying the Mailefihi Siu'ilikutapu College brass band crashed 100 metres down a bank in Gisborne.

Mourners were spilling out of the Methodist Church in Grey Lynn as they gathered to remember those lost and support the survivors of the accident.

A member of Auckland's Tongan community, who did not want to be named, said: "We are all so happy to be here to remember their lives."

One of three ministers who conducted the service in Tongan referred to the victims as the "Aotearoa two".

The minister also mentioned a post on social media about Sione, which read "you are an angel".

Survivors of the Tongan bus crash performed a concert last night in tribute to the lost pair.

HRH Princess Salote Pilolevu Mafile'o Tuita and the Minister of Pacific Peoples Alfred Ngaro addressed the crowd.

Sombre music rang out through the church as the band, aged between 11 and 17, opened the service with a tribute to the pair.

About 40 band members, some wearing black and others in their school uniform, played with the few instruments they could salvage from the wreckage of the crash.

The group filled the pews in the centre of the church - some had cuts on their faces and others were wrapped in bandages.

An older band member had his arms around a younger boy from the group.

Mourners at a memorial service at the Tongan Methodist Church in Grey Lynn. Photo / Nick Reed

Members of the Tongan community poured into the church, dressed in black with woven mats - ta'ovala - wrapped around their bodies as a sign of respect.

Badges printed with the faces and names of the two victims were also pinned to the shirts of those gathered at the church.

A woman wiped away tears as she shared stories from the lives of the deceased in Tongan.

The wreckage of the bus was removed from the scene yesterday. Photo / Gisborne Herald

Mourners bent over the caskets of the victims, sobbing and wailing. An older woman was comforted by family as she cried on the altar.

White lace cloth was draped over the caskets which sat on either side of the altar. Bouquets of white flowers sat atop the coffins.

Gospel songs echoed in the church, with some voices quavering, as those gathered stood in remembrance.

The bodies of the two victims will be taken to Tonga over the weekend, where their final services will be held.

Seven people who were injured in the crash are still in hospital. Two are in Hastings, two in Waikato and three at Gisborne Hospital.

The group are expected to travel back to Tonga next month.