Armistice Day 100 years: Dunedin remembers

The centenary of Armistice Day, the end of World War 1, has been marked with a service at Dunedin's Cenotaph in Queens Gardens.

At 11am on November 11, the Armistice was signed, bringing an end to Great War fought from 1914-18 in which more than 18,000 Kiwis lost their lives.

The 1916 census put Dunedin’s population at 68,716 and the population of Otago-Southland at 191,147; with an estimated 1831 Dunedin war deaths and about 4000 across the province.

Sunday's service began at 10.45am, led by the Rt Rev John Harrison with guest speaker Lieutenant-commander Paul Smith, commanding officer of HMNZS Toroa.

Thousands of people including veterans, families and military collectors - many wearing poppies and some donning medals of relatives - crowded around as the piper began to play before six guards took up their places around the Cenotaph.

Just before 11am,  two Howitzer rounds were fired by the 31 (B) Battery Group gunners at Queens Gardens, with a simultaneous round fired from the Robbie Burns cannon in the Octagon.

At 11am after two minutes of silence, the bells of First Church pealed out across Queens Gardens and Dunedin people added their voices to a joyful "roaring chorus'' in recognition of the relief and joy that swept the country 100 years ago.

In Mosgiel, about 100 people turned out to remember the 61 men from the Taieri who died during the Great War and church bells rang out.

Otago Museum joined in the Armistice Day commemorations with a community event, entitled "Otago Museum Remembers'', from 12.30pm to 2.30pm at the museum reserve.

There were complimentary Devonshire teas, music and performances from the Dunedin RSA Choir, The Foxy Tones, kapa haka from Wairua Puhou and He Waka Kotuia, and trumpeter Ralph Miller. The MC was Damian Newell.

A short ceremony was held at 1.30pm.

-  Reporting by Elena McPhee, Tim Miller and The Star