Dunedin
Crowds once again thronged Dunedin’s Queens Gardens as Anzac Day was commemorated in the city after last year’s Covid-19 lockdown prevented public celebrations .
Lieutenant William Atkinson took a moment to commemorate the recent death of Prince Phillip, lauding him as the "epitome of service".
Wreaths were laid before the sky glowed red as the Last Post sounded.
That meant recognising both women in uniform and the women who watched their sons, daughters, husbands, or lovers depart with the angst of not knowing if they would return.
The service went "very well" and the turnout, while probably slightly down on 2019, was good.
He was pleased to see many school pupils and youth attend, he said.
At the Andersons Bay Cemetery, posies with sprigs of rosemary were laid on the graves of fallen soldiers by about 30 Girl Guides, Brownies and Scouts.
About 400 people, mostly families, attended the Anzac Day posy-laying ceremony in the services section of the cemetery, which began at 9.30am.
The New Zealand national anthem was played by the Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass Band.
In Mosgiel, about 9.45am, the parade left the Mosgiel Memorial RSA for Anzac Park.
Two shots were fired from 25-pounder field guns to mark the arrival at the well-attended service.
Dunedin city councillor Mike Lord was among those who addressed the crowd yesterday morning.
Cr Lord said Anzac Day served as a call to service: it was up to those alive today to make those who fought in past wars "as proud of us as we are of them", he said.
At the Outram War Memorial, Independent Police Conduct Authority chairman Judge Colin Doherty spoke about his family connection to war, she said.
At Montecillo Veterans Home and Hospital, Montecillo trust chairman David More said it had been other nations that sent New Zealand troops on their disastrous or flawed missions, but New Zealand divisions were always known for their bravery.
Anzac Day historian Dr George Davis retold the story of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey.
Middle East and Islamic studies researcher Okan Tan gave a tribute in Turkish.
Alexandra
Central Otago celebrated Anzac Day with dawn services at the Clyde Lookout and the Ranfurly War Memorial.
Cold temperatures did not stop about 200 people attending a dawn service at Clyde Lookout.
Wreath-laying services at the Clyde Cenotaph and the Alexandra War Memorial began with a bang as a refurbished 1940s British-built 25-pounder gun shot blanks that echoed across the region.
A fly-over of a Murphy Renegade single-seat biplane took place during the Clyde and Alexandra commemorations.
Two of the pupils, Nate Hill-Alexander (13) and Archie Reid (12), explained that due to the Covid-19 pandemic the pupils had waited a year to see their poppies planted in the soil.
Nate said their idea was inspired by the installation of hundreds of thousands of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the World War 1, and one of the original poppies from that display was added to the soil surrounding the Alexandra War Memorial.
Other services took place in Omakau, Millers Flat, Roxburgh, Cromwell, Bannockburn and Lowburn.
Clutha
Several hundred people gathered to commemorate the contributions of the district’s Anzacs in Balclutha at dawn yesterday.
Led by Pastor Alex McLaughlin, the service followed a traditional pattern, including the Reveille being played by bugler Warrick Thompson of the Balclutha Brass Band and speeches from South Otago High School’s head boy and girl, Corporal Sean Jones of the Clutha RSA and Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan.
Mr Cadogan said freedom had always come at a price throughout history.
"Our Anzacs paid that price through their sacrifices, and we remember and give thanks to them today."
Mr McLaughlin said New Zealanders today could draw inspiration from the courage and determination of their forebears during wartime, in facing the challenges brought to the world by the current pandemic.
Milton’s mid-morning parade and service also drew a big crowd this year, of about 400.
Officials reported smaller gatherings at the district’s rural memorials were similarly well attended, despite rain and cold conditions in some places.
Southland
From Bluff to Te Anau, Southlanders observed this year’s Anzac Day under a rainy sky.
Numerous dawn services were held across the region, including in Te Anau and Invercargill, both of which went ahead with hundreds of attendees despite the weather.
Fiordland RSA secretary Barry Campbell said even though there was thunder and lightning, about 250 people attended, which exceeded expectations.
"We had about 1000 people there — the hall was jammed."
Hundreds of Invercargill residents also paid their respect by attending the dawn service at the Invercargill Cenotaph.
A sea of umbrellas filled the space and spilled on to the surrounding streets.
Among those attending were David (67) and Molly Muir (65), of Invercargill.
Mrs Muir said they attended every year.
"David’s father was in the war."
While there was no service last year due to the lockdown, she took part by standing at the end of her drive before work, Mrs Muir said.
The Riverton, Bluff and Winton RSAs also held services.
Both a dawn service and mid-morning service were held in Riverton and RSA president Paddy Lewis said while numbers were down, there was still a good crowd for both.
Winton RSA ex-president Allan Batt said about 500 people were at the dawn service, about half of whom had umbrellas.
"It absolutely bucketed it down."
Gore
More than 500 people attended the 102nd Gore dawn parade and Anzac service at the town’s cenotaph.
Gore resident Cara Sharp said this was the first time she had attended the dawn service.
"I thought it was amazing," Ms Sharp said.
Oamaru
Oamaru’s Anzac Day started with a sombre reminder of the sacrifices made in World War 1.
By 6.30am, about 600 people had gathered at the Great War Memorial.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher spoke of the uncertainty and upheaval of Covid-19, including the cancellation of last year’s remembrance service.
But this struggle was little compared with the loss and sacrifice experienced by our Anzac soldiers, Mr Kircher said.
The mayor laid the first wreath of the day, followed by the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association, community representatives and a handful of members of the crowd.
The main parade started at the South African War Memorial at 10.30am and finished at the North Otago Returned and Services’ Association (RSA) building.
Sixteen other services were held across Waitaki, including one at the newly refurbished and corrected Livingstone Memorial, north of Oamaru, the George Town, Papakaio and Pukeuri War Memorials, and the Maheno School gates.
Queenstown
It may well have rained on their parade, but that was never going to stop it happening.
While the precipitation held off for yesterday’s dawn service in Queenstown, attended by hundreds of people, shortly after the skies opened, meaning it was a drenched crowd that walked from Queenstown’s Memorial Gates, through the town centre, to the resort’s official Anzac Day service at the Queenstown Memorial Centre.
It was a far smaller crowd inside the centre this year — while many may well have been put off by the weather, Queenstown Returned and Services’ Association president Phil Weil said that was also "to be expected after last year’s break".
There the rain stopped just in time for the official service, held at the Athenaeum Hall, which was full to the brim, with at least 200 more people standing outside to listen in through outdoor speakers.
Glenorchy Community Association treasurer Mark Hasselman said the heavy rain forced a last-minute change of plan, with the community moving from the town’s war memorial to inside its hall.
Numbers there were unchanged from 2019, he said.
"[It was] just a lovely collection of young and old and a little crew of people who’ve been connected in Glenorchy for many years."
Wanaka
High winds and light rain did not deter between three and four hundred people attending the Wanaka lakefront Anzac Day dawn service.
As the sky began to lighten in the east, the visiting New Zealand Veterans Brass Band began to strike up with music from the war years.
There was a 9.30am service in the Lake Wanaka Centre followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial in Chalmers St at 11am.
A dawn service was also held at the Anzac Peninsula on Lake Hawea Dam.
