A small army of volunteers has been installing the five commemorative floral carpets on the Canopy Bridge pavement in Whangarei.
Julie-Anne Smith Rylev, from Bloom Flowers, has overseen the creation of the art installations, in which volunteers have woven thousands of blooms into the floral carpets.
The World War I Centenary Living Remembrance Floral Carpets were designed by Brett A'Court, Fiona Pardington, Jo Hardy, Carole Prentice and Scott McFarlane. The project was organised through Whangarei Art Museum, in collaboration with the Whangarei District Council and Returned Services Association. It is made possible with a $12,000 grant from national heritage funding that will support events in communities all over New Zealand that commemorate World War I.
Last week Ms Smith Rylev called for volunteers to help piece together the carpets on templates of the artists' designs.
While fewer volunteers than were hoped for registered their interest initially, on Sunday several intrigued passers-by offered their services, including two builders who happened to have handy wheelbarrows on their vehicles.
The carpets will be on public view from tomorrow until Friday, with the official opening at 5.30pm today.
At 8pm on Friday there will be a candlelight vigil and blessing ceremony at the site that will include the Buddhist community.
The carpets will then be dismantled and the flowers dropped in the Hatea River to float out to sea.