For all that, across the country it will be a more "normal" commemoration than we remember from two years ago when we entered our first lockdown.
Instead of being able to gather en masse, many stood in silence at the end of their driveways to mark the day or lit a special candle to remember those who had died or suffered.
Organisers of today’s events called for caution from the vulnerable because of the Omicron outbreak. As convener Lieutenant-commander (retired) Rob Tomlinson put it, referring to today’s dawn service at Dunedin’s Queen’s Gardens, nobody would want the commemoration to become a super-spreader event.
That service is being livestreamed for those unable to attend, but while this will be appreciated, for those whose yearly attendance is usually an essential part of their Anzac Day holiday, not being able to be there in person will be disappointing.
Anyone who has attended a dawn service will know there is something particularly poignant about it, even if it is not easy to explain. In the coolness of the early morning air, with the promise of a new day yet to be realised, strangers and friends stand quietly together to be moved by song, wise words and the mournfulness of The Last Post, and to recognise promise dashed or damaged.
There are many reasons why people observe Anzac Day, and some may be drawn to this annual ritual without really understanding why. For others, it may be to remember relatives and friends who served in the military in past wars (or civilians involved in the war effort) who died or came back irrevocably affected; to be amazed at the bravery and fortitude shown both by those who served and those who stood for pacifism; a chance to pause and reflect on the folly of war and to wonder anew whether our participation in wars is ever warranted; a moment to be grateful to be from generations where the main cause of death in young men has not been as the result of enemy fire and conscription has not been the norm.
Even those who might normally shun anything to do with Anzac Day, apart from appreciating another public holiday, may find this year that the spectre of war weighs heavily on their minds.
Only someone who had been living under a rock for the last few months, and therefore oblivious to world events, could not be horrified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The callous taking of innocent lives and maiming of others, the wanton destruction of houses and places of work, the displacement of thousands of people, the lies told to "justify" all this, and the sheer misery of war when one country invades another’s territory have all been laid bare. All so pointless.
We have also seen the bravery of the Ukrainian people, their determination not to bow down to their oppressor and examples of the kindness of strangers who have exhibited innovative ways to help the Ukrainians.
And as we mark this day in whatever way suits us, it feels appropriate to be thinking about war and all it means when a power-crazy leader of a country makes a grab for someone else’s territory.
When that power-crazy person is also flexing his muscles by testing a nuclear-capable missile and is said to have put his nuclear forces into special combat readiness, fears this invasion might eventually involve nuclear weapons are heightened.
The message "Lest we forget" has never been so apt.
