Crowd in solemn silence to honour vets

Ten-thousand people attended the Mount Maunganui dawn service. Photo / John Borren

Ten-thousand voices joined in unison to recite "we will remember them" as dawn broke over the Mount Maunganui War Memorial Cenotaph.

Mount Maunganui's Anzac dawn service was described by many people who attended it as the best yet.

The crowds stretched in either direction of the cenotaph, lining the roadside, Mount Drury, the beach and the grass dunes.

Traffic was reportedly backed up for kilometres before the service.

Although there were thousands of people in one area, the crowd was hushed from the moment veterans, returned servicemen and women, emergency services, cadets and Scout groups marched to their place of honour.

Mount Maunganui College student Stella Affleck's beautiful rendition of the Australian and New Zealand national anthems and Sons of Gallipoli had the audience singing along, before a prayer by Mount Maunganui RSA Reverend Marie Gilpin.

Mount Maunganui RSA president Carol Cook spoke at the service, reminding the crowd of the sacrifices made by the soldiers who fought in World War I and other wars since.

At the end of the service, as Mrs Cook recited the Ode of Remembrance, two Harvard bombers flew over the cenotaph, timed as the crowd recited the last line, "we will remember them".

All of this added up to be the best dawn service Alex Gardner has been to - and he was at Gallipoli last year.

Mr Gardner, 26, is a former soldier in the Australian Army and recently moved to Papamoa with his Kiwi wife.

He attended the Mount Maunganui service this morning for the first time and said it was "quite moving and really respectful".

Mr Gardner was also impressed that the service included both the Australian and New Zealand national anthems - the services he attended in Australia only played Advance Australia Fair. "[This service] just has a great atmosphere."