Mount Maunganui RSA president Derek Williams has participated in practically every Anzac Day service for 35 years, but today's dawn service was only the second one he'd actually attended.
"I did the flyover for 35 years until last year. Last year was the first day I was able to be here," he said.
Mr Williams is a keen aviator and spent much of his career outside of the military as a top-dressing pilot.
He and a friend managed to get their hands on a couple of Harvard planes back in 1978.
"My mate and I thought 'he's got one, I've got one, why don't we do a flyover?' So we did."