Hundreds attend warm Waitangi dawn service

This morning's dawn service at the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi. Photo / NZPA

Hundreds have attended a warm Waitangi Day dawn service this morning.

Early risers filed into the whare on the Treaty Grounds to listen to prayers led by the Prime Minister John Key, the British High Commissioner and Dr Pita Sharples.

The service was led by John Komene from Ngapuhi who kept the tone light and fun.

He drew giggles from the crowd overflow who sat outside the whare when he invited Labour Party leader Phil Goff to pray - joking that his offering shouldn't be one to outdo Mr Key's.

He thanked speakers for getting "straight to the point" otherwise "we'd be here til next Sunday," he mused.

In his address Mr Key made special mention of those who died at Pike River as well as remembering the country's Pakeha and Maori forefathers who had the foresight to sign the treaty.

He said in Opposition he had promised to continue attending Waitangi Day - including the often volatile Te Tii Marae - and he hoped to continue with that.

However, he said he had increased security this year and each year he would decide whether to attend based on the advice given to him.

"There was obvious tensions and you can never be sure. It's an environment that attracts those sort of protestors and it is what it is. That's always been the case. Waitangi has been unpredictable."

He said things had improved since he became Prime Minister, especially since 2009 when he was grabbed by protestors as he entered the marae.

If he had serious security concerns he would not attend, partly because of the risk also to those who attended alongside him.

He believed more families should consider visiting Waitangi to celebrate the day itself, which was usually spared the protests of the day before when Te Tii Marae was the focus.

Mr Key is now hosting his annual Prime Minister's breakfast, where he will address his party colleagues and iwi leaders.

But it wouldn't be the country's national day without a quirky episode.

It came when another Ngapuhi minister spoke of his premonition of a tsunami hitting Wellington possibly in June, the knowledge of which he'd been sitting on for 38 years.

Bagpipes being played under the flagpole gave the service a reflective air as people wandered quietly from the service to listen.

Out in the Bay of Islands, a lit-up Navy ship twinkled as people listened to a conch.

A Pakeha tertiary worker from Whangarei attending the service for the first time said the dawn service had been on her bucketlist.

"It's such a beautiful peaceful spot - it's just been so special."