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Thousands of Aucklanders braved the wind and the rain at Auckland's War Memorial Museum this morning to commemorate 94 years since the landings at Gallipoli.
Among those that marched on to the parade ground at the cenotaph was Noreen Henare who clung to a photograph of her father, Tamati Henare of Ngapuhi, who fought at the battle of Casino in the 28th Maori Battalion.
Ms Henare was emotional as the crowd clapped the veterans off the parade ground at the conclusion of the ceremony. One woman in the crowd yelled out "Thank You".
Ms Henare said it has been 12 years now, since her father had died. "Now I don't cry. "It's not sad but now it's the memories that are laid to rest. He knows he's got his grand children and great grandchildren, they all know who he was," Ms Henare said.
She said she had invited some of them to stand on the parade ground with her and the photograph of Mr Henare in front of the Pyramids at Egypt but they had felt more comfortable with her doing it.
The photograph of Mr Henare has been hung "all over the place",including her marae up north.
Ms Henare said her father was known as Liberace because of his rings and gold teeth and was a great entertainer who played the banjo, guitar and ukulele.
This morning's service saw thousands of people gather at the cenotaph, in some places the crowd stood 20 and 30 deep.
The master of ceremonies, Chris Mullane, welcomed everyone, including those that could not attend "but are here in spirit and in our hearts".
A big screen had been set up at the bottom of the cenotaph steps but could not be elevated because of the high winds. The veterans marched on to the parade ground with the crowd clapping. Some were in wheel chairs and one or two had crutches.
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp, Labour leader Phil Goff and Auckland City mayor John Banks laid a wreath at the Cenotaph before the flags were lowered and the lights turned out for a minute's silence. Mr Banks also erected a cross on the lawn, known as the field of remembrance.
Mr Banks then read his address that included the story of Lance Corporal Robert Carville Bett who volunteered for service and fought at Gallipoli before returning to New Zealand and volunteering again for the western front only to be killed by shrapnel wounds in Belgium.
Mr Banks read from a letter Lance Corporal Bett wrote to his mother in June, 1917. Mr Banks told the crowd that the letter started: "Dear Mother, it was hell let loose".
Lance Corporal Bett's letter described the horror of battle on the Western Front, including mines, flares, the noise of the guns and the bodies of his fellow soldiers "all around you".
Only days later, Lance Corporal Bett himself was wounded in what Mr Banks described as a "hail of shrapnel" and died of his wounds a week later. He was just 25 years- old.
"We do not seek to glorify war but rather to honour and reflect on the services so many men gave our country," Mr Banks said. He said ANZAC day was viewed with a "mixture of pride, respect and sympathy". An airforce fly-by of a Hercules was meant to take place but MC, Mr Mullane, explained the reason for its absence.
"The Hercules is under-going repair after carrying two crocodiles from Australia, two more Anzacs in New Zealand.
The veterans then marched off the parade ground, accompanied by serving members of the armed forces. One Australian veteran was overheard singing the first few lines of the Australian anthem with a smile on his face.
Other parts of the country marked Anzac Day in their own unique ways.
In Hamilton, veterans marched across the bridge to Memorial Park where about 3000 attended the service beside the floodlit Cenotaph.
A contingent of World War 2 veterans led the dawn parade into Cathedral Square in Christchurch. An estimated 10,000 people packed the square for the service led by Canterbury Malayan Veterans' Association president Paul Tau.
A similar number attended the dawn service in the capital at which Prime Minister John Key was present.
In Mt Maunganui, Rev Chris Haines asked New Zealanders to keep their recession hardships in perspective and not look for somebody else to blame. "The inevitable cycles of less than plenty have much more to do with our common obsession with self-interest than with a particular person or political party," he said.
"We can, individually and as a people if we will, remember the gifts of freedom and peace that was brought to us by so many thousands of young New Zealanders who, on the sharp end of war and terror and death, gave us their second chances."
Events to mark Anzac Day were set to continue throughout out the country this morning, among them the national wreath laying ceremony at 10.30am in Wellington.
Further afield, the Defence Force team serving in Timor-Leste also started the day with a dawn service. New Zealand has 155 troops helping to maintain peace while the country's government works towards becoming self-sufficient. The service was followed by a cooked breakfast and the annual New Zealand vrs Australia cricket match.
New Zealand troops in the Solomons are taking time out to reflect on the meaning of Anzac Day. The 44-strong platoon of New Zealanders serving with a multi-national task force has been involved in two dawn services.
Territorial officer Major Richard Palmer says the day has taken on a new meaning when troops wear the New Zealand uniform.
"It brings home to our soldiers the importance of the mission and the fact that they carry with them a very proud history and tradition. It's certainly a great honour to be serving on operations on Anzac Day alongside our Australian brethren."
Major Palmer says the rest of the day will be spent in a host of friendly challenges with the Australian troops.
- additional reporting from NZPA, Newstalk ZB
