The Combined Churches of Hawera completed a Walk of Witness, carrying a cross. They started at Hawera Baptist and had meditations at AOG, then Methodist before finishing at Salvation Army.

A quiet procession of more than 100 people accompanied a wooden cross around the streets of Hawera on Friday morning.

While many of the town's residents enjoyed a sleep in, members of churches from around the Taranaki town joined in a combined 'walk of witness', with people taking turns to carry an unadorned timber cross from one church to the next.

The procession went around four different churches, with a stop at each for the participants to reflect on the events of the first Good Friday, when Jesus Christ was crucified after walking with his cross through the streets of Jerusalem

GRANT MATTHEW/Fairfax NZ The Combined Churches of Hawera completed a Walk of Witness, carrying a cross. They started at Hawera Baptist and had meditations at AOG, then Methodist, beforefinishing at Salvation Army.

"We are journeying as Jesus would have done with the cross on the first Good Friday. This is a significant time for Christians when we get time to enter into Jesus' suffering and why he did it," Pastor Paul Grant, from Hawera Baptist Church, said.

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"It's easy to have the Easter Sunday celebration but we also have to come to terms with his humanity and suffering. By putting them together, seeing his death and resurrection, we see that hope follows suffering."

More people joined the convoy as it progressed from the Baptist church to the Hawera Assembly of God and then to the Wesley Methodist Church, where more copies of a hymn sheet had to be printed for the larger-than-expected crowd.

The walk ended at the Salvation Army, where a beaming Ngaire Skelton was waiting to greet people.

"There's a lot more than I expected," she smiled.

She said the event was important because it brought together people from all the different churches.

​"Community, that's the thing. Like the Bible says, where there is unity the blessing of God comes, and if we have unity between the churches, he's going to bless our town mightily."

Duncan and Debbie Coombe, who attend the Hawera Assembly of God church, completed the walk with their eight-month-old son Theo in his stroller.

"Easter is about spending time with family, and remembering what Jesus did for us," Duncan Coombe said. " And we do also enjoy the easter eggs and hot cross buns."

Plates of hot cross buns and cups of tea were shared when the ceremony ended.