Queen Elizabeth during her royal visit to Tauranga in 1963. Videographer Norman W. Blackie, from the Tauranga City Libraries’ Norman Blackie Collection.
Bay of Plenty residents are mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II, aged 96.
She was the longest-serving king or queen in the history of Britain and the Commonwealth, having acceded to the throne in 1952.
A Tauranga City Council media statement said the council would have books of condolences available for the community to sign from tomorrow, September 10, at council libraries across the city, including Tauranga, Pāpāmoa, Greerton and Mount Maunganui.
Floral tributes could be placed near the large tree behind the Queen Elizabeth II Youth Centre at Memorial Park and at Coronation Park on the corner of Maunganui Rd and Nikau Cres, the statement said.
The council's flag on Takitimu Dr is flying at half-mast until further notice. Flags were also flying at half-mast at Bay of Plenty Regional Council's three offices.
Image 1 of 22: Queen Elizabeth II with Mayor of Rotorua Ray Boord, followed by the Duke of Edinborugh and Prince Charles walking down the Rotorua Lake reserve, in 1977. Photo/RDP Staff Photographer
Tauranga City Council commissioner Shadrach Rolleston paid tribute on behalf of the council, remembering Her Majesty as a constant source of strength and stability through her 70-year reign.
"Queen Elizabeth II lived a life of service with dignity and grace," he said in a media statement.
"Her Majesty guided the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth through many turbulent times and was a symbol of strength and unity for millions.
"For many in our community the Queen has been a constant presence, and people will no doubt want to express their deepest condolences to the royal family."
A Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesperson said a letter from mayor Garry Webber, on behalf of the council, had been drafted and would be sent to the royal family.
Flags were at half-mast at the council's main office, Barkers Corner and The Centre - Pātuki Manawa, Katikati Library and Service Centre.
The spokesperson said the council would have books of condolences from tomorrow, September 10, at The Centre – Pātuki Manawa, Katikati Library and Service Centre, the council's main office at Barkes Corner and the Te Puke Library and service centre.
No public commemoration services were planned.
Queen Elizabeth II at Tauranga Domain in 1963.
Webber said it was "a sad day for New Zealand".
"Being a 76-year-old, I've been around nearly as long as she has been the Queen. She was crowned in 1953 when I was 7 so she's been a part of my life and New Zealand's life for a long period of time."
Webber said the Queen would be remembered for her grace and elegance and as a "role model for humanity".
"I think on the way of life of New Zealand, she has been that consistent figurehead of sensibility and democracy."
Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said the Queen lived her life with distinguished grace and humility.
"As sovereign, she gave 70 years of selfless service and dedication to the Commonwealth and ensured stability and consistency during some incredibly turbulent times.
The flag at the Elizabeth St roundabout in Tauranga at half-mast this morning. Photo / Megan Wilson
"My thoughts are with her family as they come together to mourn and celebrate her incredible life and reign."
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller said the Queen was a "profoundly remarkable woman".
She led a life "infused with privilege yet lived day by day for over 70 years in selfless service of us all".
"[This was] a lifelong demonstration of values that resonate even more distinctly today than in 1952. May she rest in peace."
Tauranga's Killarney Rest Home nurse manager Lesley Foord said they were supporting their residents "one on one" in light of the Queen's death.
"We've had some tears, we've had some very sad people," she said.
"A couple of them have just been sitting and crying and they've talked about how special she was."
Closer to the funeral, the rest home may have some kind of memorial, she said.
Queen Elizabeth leaves the surf club carnival at Mount Maunganui on February 13, 1963.
An emotional UK-born Susie Jones, 65, from Pyes Pa said she could hardly speak when she first learned the news.
"I'm really upset and I cried when I heard the news on the radio this morning. She has been my Queen all my life, even though unfortunately I never got met her in person, and like many people around the world I loved her."
UK-born Susie Jones now lives in Tauranga. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga resident Anna Solich, who moved from England in 2007, said the news had come as a shock.
While Solich did not consider herself a royalist, she said growing up in England "she has always been part of your life".
"It's very sad - we have grown up with her".
Suzanne Moran, of Rotorua, said the Queen had been a feature of everybody's life in "one way or another".
"It will be a bit strange she is not there anymore."
"The Queen has had a wonderful long life and died peacefully with her family around her. I am sure that is what she would have wanted," she said.
Mount Maunganui RSA president Arthur King said: "I think the Queen's death is sad for the whole world, what she has done in the past 70 years has been incredible.
"I think a lot of people will react to her death as they would to their own grandmother passing."
British expat Daniel Snelling, who is moving to Tauranga next week, said the Queen's death was "along the same lines, if not bigger, than the passing of Princess Diana".
"Since around 11am UK time when they announced that Her Royal Highness The Queen was under medical supervision I could tell something wasn't quite right.
"Then the siblings to the Queen were flying in to Aberdeen which gave us all in the UK only one thing to really think. It was time to say goodbye to the monarch."
Snelling said he worked with the Royal Air Force Royal Squadron for a few months at the Royal Air Force Northolt in the United Kingdom.
One memory he had of Elizabeth II was "seeing the Queen board flights with corgis in tow".
The Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre opened in Tauranga's Memorial Park in 1967.
The Queen and the Duke also visited Bay of Plenty tourism mecca Rotorua four times during her reign.
Their first visit was part of the 46-town "honeymoon tour" of New Zealand in the summer of 1953-54, when they spent the first four days of the New Year in Rotorua.
A Māori welcome performance at Arawa Park on January 2 drew thousands of spectators.
The Queen gave a speech, drawing gasps of surprise and cheers when she ended it with a few words of te reo Māori: "Kia ora koutou".
The couple returned to Rotorua for short visits in 1974 and 1977.
They came separately in 1995, with the Queen visiting the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and Whakarewarewa.
Queen Elizabeth II and Mayor of Tauranga, DS Mitchell on walkabout during the royal visit of 1963.
The Queen's funeral is expected to take place within 10 to 12 days and be attended by state officials from all over the world.
After the service, the coffin will be taken to Windsor Castle and finally to St George's Chapel, where she will likely be laid to rest next to her father, King George VI.
Queen Elizabeth's death leads to Prince Charles ascending to the throne.
He expected to take the name King Charles III. His wife Camilla will be known as Queen Consort.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor came to the throne at the age of 25, upon the death of her father.
Queen Elizabeth II attends the launch of The Queen's Baton Relay for Birmingham 2022, the XXII Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on October 07, 2021 in London. Photo / Getty Images
She was the first reigning monarch to come to New Zealand and made 10 visits in total, favouring the brightly coloured outfits she chose for all her public duties.
The Queen had four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
In April 2021, she lost her husband, at the age of 99.
