After the reflection, the racket.
New Zealand will stage a two-minute silence at 11am on Sunday. November 11. to mark the centenary of Armistice Day - the cessation of hostilities in World War 1.
At 11.02am organisers hope to shatter that reflective silence with a deafening cacophony, reminiscent of the wild scenes of celebration across New Zealand in 1918 when the shooting stopped.
''The Roaring Chorus invites communities to break the silence in a way that is relevant to them, and it is great that so many communities and organisations are joining the campaign,'' director of the First World War Centenary Programme Sarah Davies said.
''After four years of remembrance, we can now reconnect with the sense of joy and relief that swept the county when news of the end of fighting came through.''
Steam whistles, bells and cannons rang out in Dunedin in November 1918 with the confirmation that the war was ended.
''The whistles and bells [got] in first, despite any prearrangement that on receipt of official information the Central Battery was to lead off with a salvo of six guns,'' the Otago Daily Times reported.
''These were fired a few minutes after the whistles had begun to shriek and the bells to clang out tidings that would cheer the heart of everyone in the community.''
The joyous racket was echoed across the region, and centenary programme organisers hope to achieve the same feat.
One specially arranged event will be the TSS Earnslaw tooting its horn at 11am. A century ago, its predecessor steamship on Lake Wakatipu, Ben Lomond, was reported as heralding the news of the armistice with its ship horn.
KiwiRail likewise will have all its locomotives join the chorus - the ODT reported ''each railway engine in passing added its quote to the general rejoicing.''
Fire and Emergency appliances and police vehicles nationwide will sound their sirens, and all ships in port will be asked to join in.
In Wellington, a fanfare will be played by the bells of the National War Memorial Carillon at 11.02am, as part of the Armistice Centenary National Ceremony.
Churches and cathedrals nationwide will ring their bells.
