While the Mt Erebus disaster remains New Zealand’s most horrific aviation tragedy, the Perpignan crash on November 28, 2008 was devastating in its own right.
Five Kiwis, Captain Brian Horrell, Noel Marsh, Michael Gyles, Murray White and Jeremy Cook were killed when the Air New Zealand Airbus A380 nose-dived into the sea off the southern coast of France.
Two German pilots were also killed.
On November 28 this year, family members of the men killed flew to Perpignan to remember the accident and thank the rescue teams one year on.
A memorial was unveiled on a beach at Canet on November 28, during an emotionally-charged ceremony held by family of the lost men.
Noel Marsh's wife Tracey was pregnant in late November, 2008, the memorial ceremony was her first visit to Perpignan and the presence of her 10-month-old daughter Katie, who never met her Dad, and the paintings from the couple's two young sons provided a harrowing reminder of what the families lost that day.
In the long, dark shadow of the tragedy that was Erebus lies Perpignan and the five Kiwis who were lost, and the emotional trauma it inflicted upon families, and the grief the New Zealand public felt.
The families left behind are the Kiwis of the Year today, their devotion to their men and the reception they received in France is a true testament to their character.