It was raining as she left her Auckland home on Tuesday with a group of Elim Christian College pupils to head for the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in the central North Island.
Weather forecasters had predicted heavy rain for the area.
‘‘I said to her, ‘Honey, how do you feel about the rain, and what's it going to be like?'
‘‘She said, ‘My good friend Portia [McPhail, who was in the group and also died] said we have got this little saying that says we are going to jump in puddles, Dad'.
‘‘She said, ‘What I mean by that is, even if it is bad, we are going to make the most of it'.
‘‘That is what my daughter and Portia were like - ‘We are going to jump in puddles'.
‘‘And I guess that is what all the parents are trying to do right now. We are going to try and jump in puddles,'' Mr Bray said.
The tributes and tears flowed at the small college yesterday as the 550 pupils, staff and family members tried to cope with the grief of losing six pupils, all aged 16, and a ‘‘stunning'' teacher.
They died when they were caught in a flash flood as they negotiated the river bank in the Mangatepopo River during their stay at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Tongariro National Park.
One of the pupils, Natasha Bray, was in line to become head girl at the school next year. Another, Tom Hsu, had overcome cerebral palsy.
Yesterday, at a media conference at the school, Natasha's father, Andy Bray, said all the pupils were remarkable young people.
‘‘They were selfless, giving their lives to make a difference. They loved God and wanted to be part of making this world better . . .
‘‘We have lost some amazing . . . role models and my daughter was one of them,'' he said.
‘‘These were kids of extraordinary character, who [wanted] to be involved in building up others who were struggling.''
Mr Bray said the tragedy was a tragedy not only for his family, school and the community, but for New Zealand.
‘‘They were all special, remarkable children who loved God.''
He said his belief was that Natasha was in a much better place.
‘‘We have incredible memories. Every memory is a good one.''
At a special assembly to inform pupils of the tragedy, gasps and sobs could be heard from many pupils as school principal Murray Burton read out the names of those who died.
Mr Burton said their faith was the one thing they must hold on to.
‘‘If your faith means anything at all, it must mean everything now.''
Mr Burton said they were taking the grieving process ‘‘one step at a time, one hour at a time, maybe one minute at a time''.
He said they were stunning children and Mr McClean was a stunning teacher.
‘‘Just no words describe [the victims] really, just fantastic memories.''
A friend of Mr McClean's recalled hearing the news.
‘‘At 3.45am we got a call from his brother's girlfriend to say, ‘Come round to their parents' place immediately. He's not with us anymore. He's gone to heaven'.''
Tributes and messages flowed in from around the country.
Parliament expressed its deep sorrow and Prime Minister Helen Clark said the tragedy was ‘‘every family and school's worst nightmare''.
National Party leader John Key said MPs, as parents, shared the ‘‘sense of the ultimate help lessness in the face of events such as these''.
