The crowd gathered slowly, filling spots beneath the trees, people talking quietly among themselves.
Some came with stories, others just to pay their respects, but all came to send a message of support to the people of Christchurch, to show solidarity one year on from the devastating February 22 earthquake.
A single candle burned near a stage and a lone piper's music filled the air as University of Otago chaplain the Rev Greg Hughson addressed them all.
The service was to "honour those who passed away" and "remember those who continue to breathe", he said.
"The tragedy of one year ago has united us all."
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull acknowledged the importance of remembering the "devastating and deadly" day.
"It's appropriate to remember the 185 people who died. It's appropriate to remember their whanau, their friends, who lost their loved ones.
"Our thoughts and our hearts go out to Christchurch and the Christchurch people who are our whanau. It could just have so easily been us, Dunedin so easily could have been Christchurch, but for the grace of God."
As people bowed their heads for two minutes' silence at 12.51pm, some clung to loved ones, others shed tears, many simply stood in reflection.
Among them was Paul Gourlie, a former Christchurch resident who moved to Dunedin in April.
In the September quake his house was "barely touched".
"September for us was almost a day of inconvenience because we could not make a cup of tea or listen to the radio so we did not know what had really happened," he said.
The February quake could not have been more different.
He was helping his 88-year-old mother get ready for lunch at their Heathcote home when the quake struck.
"In moments we watched our house get ripped to pieces in front of us."
Mr Gourlie described the service in Dunedin yesterday as "very appropriate" and said it "reinforced" the sense of community.
Another Christchurch resident who moved to Dunedin last year addressed the gathering to say thank you.
Jane, who did not want her surname used, wanted to thank the emergency service workers who assisted in Christchurch, as well as the "ordinary people" who gave time and support to the city following each major quake.
