Veteran Paul Anderson's azure eyes twinkle as he chats and sips a steaming cup of coffee before dawn on Anzac Day.
But the blue almost deepens when the Tauranga RSA vice-president remembers his experiences and talks of the importance of the historic day.
The 75-year-old Bureta resident got up early to attend the dawn service at the Tauranga cenotaph, just as he has for many years.
He said the day was especially meaningful for him as it bought back old memories as his time as a soldier in the Malaya Emergency.
The Ode, in particular, was a stand-out element of the traditional service.