A huge crowd of about 5000 people - some still in their slippers - turned out for the Anzac Day dawn service at Whangārei’s Laurie Hall Park.

Returned Service Association (RSA) leaders from elsewhere around the region reported high attendance for remembrance events in their areas.

This Anzac Day marks the 110th anniversary of New Zealand and Australian troops landing on the Gallipoli peninsula, now part of Turkey, where nearly 2800 New Zealanders died during the campaign in 1915, and 5212 were wounded.

Whangārei RSA president Brian Towgood said he was “very impressed” not only with the number of veterans and serving personnel who attended the Laurie Park dawn service and parade that started about 5.30am but by the huge public turnout, particularly the youth among them.

A police escort led the Anzac Parade in Whangārei, which was shortened this year starting from the corner of Rust Ave and Bank St, rather than Hannah St. Photo / Tony Hickland, NZ Police

And, Towgood said, the following 10am service in Maunu was the biggest he had ever seen there.

He believed the enthusiasm and desire of young people to know about Anzac as part of their history was a major driving force in increased attendances at the annual commemorative services.

Towgood also pointed to initiatives such as a leadership academy in Whangārei based on the values of the 28th Māori Battalion as further impetus for the growing interest in continuing the Anzac spirit.

The military-style Leadership Academy of A Company, which is hosted by Whangārei kura Te Kāpehu Whetū, takes about 20 boys a year and provides extra support and training in leadership and tikanga Māori alongside their normal studies.

The Whangārei dawn service was attended by people of all nationalities and from all walks of life. Several people attended in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.

Others arrived with babies in prams while some brought their beloved pet dogs.

Thousands of people, some still in their slippers, attended this morning's Anzac Day commemorations in Whangārei. Photo / Sarah Curtis

There was a solemn silence throughout the service, which began with a police escorted parade led by Northland Caledonian Pipe Band. Marching behind them were representatives for veterans, NZ Defence Force, NZ Police, NZ Cadet Forces, Fire and Emergency NZ, Hato Hone St John, and the Leadership Academy of A Company.

The crowd listened intently as various dignitaries gave addresses and laid wreaths beneath the cenotaph, which was flanked by the flags of New Zealand, Australia, the UK, RNZN, RNZAF, and Merchant Mariners.

Daylight only began to break near the end of the service as school students and young people from service groups were invited to lay their floral tributes alongside wreaths already there.

Other than a few isolated spots of rain, there was no sign in Whangārei of the downpours forecast to pelt the region tomorrow. Nonetheless, many among the crowd were at the ready, rugged up in warm coats and carrying umbrellas.

Kerikeri Returned Services Association president Bill Godfrey said a large crowd had also gathered there, possibly up to 500 people and noticeably more than last year.

Godfrey put the increased attendance down to the “excellent work” of students from Kerikeri High and Spring Bank schools, who he said had run the event for the past few years, the RSA stepping back to a supervisory role.

Dignitaries line the stage beside the cenotaph at this year's Anzac Day dawn service in Laurie Park, Whangārei. Photo / Sarah Curtis

He said the event in Kerikeri consciously relied on students as speechmakers, rather than politicians.

This year, a student gave a captivating account of her grandparents’ life in the Channel Islands during the German Occupation, Godfrey said.

Northland RSA president Colin Kitchen said there had also been a strong public presence at this morning’s dawn service in Kaitaia, despite inclement weather that could have kept people away.

Fortunately, the rain held off long enough that the service did not need to move indoors.

Kitchen said this morning’s commemoration was preceded by another important RSA event last night - a celebratory dinner to mark the 100th year of the Whangaroa RSA.

Sarah Curtis is a general news reporter for the Northern Advocate. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference, especially those involving environmental issues.