The vigil was for all families who have lost someone to a work-place death, not just forestry deaths.
"They came to support me and my children, but they were also there because they'd had fatalities in their families in the past."
She said the vigil had been emotional and "really hard".
"It was probably one of the worst experiences I've had to experience for a long time, since Charles' death.
"Knowing that every single cross represented a family member, and knowing that 290 people had 290 families that felt just like how me and my children felt when Charles died," she said.
Mrs Butler-Finlay has three children, Charles Junior, 22, and 11-year-old twins Shelby and Sharneica who "are still not coping".
"The kids doted on their father," she said.
The day was "astounding, but also beautiful," she said.
Mrs Butler-Finlay said she hoped the message got through to the government.
"It's to let the government know that we aren't happy with the Health and Safety Reform Bill and we aren't happy with the workplace death rate," she said.
Mr Finlay's employer M&A Cross Ltd pleaded guilty to breaches of safety laws that led to Mr Finlay's death after the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) launched a private prosecution.
The summary of facts said a log struck Mr Finlay on his head while he was standing behind a truck's trailer that was being loaded.
The company will be sentenced in the Rotorua District Court on October 2.
- NZME
