However other churches around Dunedin saw a good turnout of people marking the holiday.
The Rev Jan Clark of St Margaret's Church said one of the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus described him meeting the disciples on the beach, which was what inspired the tradition.
The group of five met at Brighton Beach to watch the sun rise at the service.
Many members of the church were isolating with Covid-19 or as household contacts, which left only a small number to celebrate the sunrise service.
They checked the forecast for when the sun would rise and headed down to the beach about 7.15am, which was almost ‘‘spot on’’, she said.
Despite the small size, the service was still great to experience, she said.
Seeing the sun along with the ‘‘glorious’’ full moon yesterday morning exemplified the way God touched the heart with awe and wonder, she said.
Easter marked a chance to start anew and the sunrise service was the perfect way to celebrate that.
After the beach service the group had communion together and then enjoyed a shared lunch.
The tradition had been going on for about five years and had become intertwined with how Easter was celebrated there.
Other churches had far higher numbers of people attending services yesterday.
Knox Church minister Rev Dr Kerry Enright said about 100 people attended yesterday with more watching the service live online.
He also introduced a unique aspect to the service by bringing along an anchor and chain, which symbolised how the resurrection of Christ anchored humankind to the world with justice, peace and harmony.
The service referenced significant issues affecting people today, such as climate change, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing pandemic.
By live-streaming the service, even those who were isolating were able to take part, he said.
First Church of Otago minister Rev Ed Masters said it had a good turnout and it was great to celebrate the holiday.
In 2020, the church was unable to celebrate fully due to the lockdown.
Easter was a reminder of the hope Jesus brought to the world and it was important for the church to come together, especially in difficult times.
