An incredible experience is how Wānaka man Josh O’Regan has described the 12 hours it took to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall on Saturday (UK).

Josh said he wanted to be part of a moment in history and experience something he was never going to experience again. 

“Looking back on it I’m very happy I did it,” he said.

“Everyone is like ‘you waited 12 hours in a queue’ but it is not really like that, you think you’re going to wait 12 hours to do this thing, but the 12 hours wait is the actual thing.”

The beginning of the queue at Southwark Park, London.

Joining Josh in the queue was a woman who’d flown in from Utah in the United States to pay her respects and an Australian woman who lived in Portugal. Others were from around the United Kingdom, travelling hours by train to be part of this moment in history.

“A lot of people do it to pay their respects to a Queen they’ve grown up with and they feel a strong connection to her,” Josh said.

“Personally I don’t feel that strong connection but I wanted to go and be a part of it and talk to people who have that connection and embrace that environment.”

Josh said it was a surreal moment standing at the top of the stairs before walking into Westminster Hall.

The queue followed London’s tourist route along the Thames. 

“It’s very quiet and quite overwhelming. I’d waited so long and I’m finally in the hall and you see the coffin and the guards and you want to stand and take it all in. But you’re being moved through. It’s incredible.”

Walking through Westminster Hall there were people bowing, praying, and curtseying Josh said.

“You’re very close to the guards and the coffin,” he said.

Westminster Hall opened its doors to the public on Wednesday (UK) after a procession brought the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace.

The lying in state will continue until this evening (Monday September 19) New Zealand time with the Queen’s funeral to take place overnight tonight.

PHOTOS: Josh O’Regan