Anzac preparations.President Carol Cook and vice president Derek Williams.
Anzac preparations.President Carol Cook and vice president Derek Williams.
Tommorrow marks 99 years since the Gallipoli landings in which 14 Tauranga men lost their lives.
Thousands of people are expected to gather at war memorials around the Bay to remember those who died in World War I, 90 of whom were from the Tauranga area, and other conflicts since.
Local Returned and Services associations have organised dawn parades or other services to mark Anzac Day.
Up to 5000 people were expected to gather at the cenotaph opposite Mount Drury in Mount Maunganui for the dawn parade starting at 6am.
Mount Maunganui RSA president Carol Cook said a park-and-ride service from behind Blake Park would be used this year as a practice run for next year's World War I centenary.
"We will be running it as a bit of a practice run and, hopefully, it will continue after next year.
She said vice-president Derek Williams would fly a RNZAF Harvard 91 over with other planes during the Reveille.
Mrs Cook and other RSA members have been visiting Papamoa and Mount Maunganui schools in past weeks to talk about the significance of Anzac Day and the poppy symbol.
Tauranga RSA manager Graham Howard said the dawn parade at the cenotaph outside the RSA would go ahead rain, hail or shine.
"With what the soldiers had to put up with in the trenches, I think we can put up with a little rain."
Mr Howard said people wishing to attend the service should aim to arrive about 5.30am as parking spaces filled up quickly before the march at 5.55am.
"We're expecting anything from 1000 to 2000 people at the dawn service. We've got a display of poems from the local schools in the area in the club rooms and wreaths the kids have made. Aside from that, we don't have anything different from other services."
The Te Puna community has also planned an Anzac event. Te Puna Heartlands member Jo Gravit said the community would be walking from St Joseph's Church along the newly constructed footpath to the Te Puna War Memorial Hall.
"It's obviously to celebrate the 100 years since the start of the war but also to recognise we have war memorial tributes in the hall and for people to look at who served from here.
"Along the way, various points of interest will be pointed out explaining something of the history of the properties as well."
Roads will be closed at Fraser St, Devonport Rd and 11th Ave from 8am to 11am; and Marine Parade from 5.55am to 7am and again from 9.25am to 11am.
Anzac Day in the Western Bay was looking "absolutely dry, fine, with just some patchy cloud'', which would increase later in the day. He expected temperatures of about 15C to 16C for dawn services.
