WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than 1,000 people across New Zealand have turned out for candlelight vigils held to commemorate British tourist Grace Millane, who police say was murdered earlier this month.
The 22-year-old backpacker's death has struck a deep chord in a country where many young people take gap years to travel.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern summed up the national mood this week when she said there was an overwhelming sense of hurt and shame that the death occurred in New Zealand, a country that prides itself on its hospitality.
The victim's father, David Millane, who traveled to New Zealand last week after his daughter vanished, said in a statement that although Grace was in New Zealand only a few weeks, in some small way "she will forever be a kiwi."
