Queen Elizabeth death: Where you can pay tribute

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II during her press conference at the Beehive in Wellington this morning. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington's waterfront will be shut down tonight as a death gun salute is fired for the late Queen.

Condolence books have also been made available across the country for members of the public to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

The 96-year-old, who died peacefully at Balmoral early on Friday NZT, was the longest-serving monarch in the history of Britain and the Commonwealth, having acceded to the throne in 1952.

In Wellington, the thoroughfare along Te Papa Promenade will be restricted from midday, with the 16th Field Regiment planning to fire one round for every year of Her Majesty's life.

The event will begin at 6pm and the thoroughfare will be fully blocked for 15 minutes either side of the salute.

The salute will be livestreamed on the New Zealand Defence Force's Facebook page.

Royal fans and indeed any member of the public wishing to pay their respects to the late Queen can leave messages in condolence books in multiple places around New Zealand.

A Parliament spokeswoman said books were available at the Beehive and the National Library.

The book at the National Library can be found on the ground floor.

Government House spokeswoman Nerina Bennett said it was likely people would want to lay flowers at Parliament and at the gates of Government House.

There will also be a national memorial service held in Wellington, though the date is yet to be set.

Meanwhile, an accession proclamation ceremony will also be held in the capital to acknowledge the new king, Charles III.

Other towns and cities around New Zealand will also mark these events when they happen.

Councils around the country are flying flags at half mast and putting out their own condolence books too, said Karen Thomas, chief executive of Taituarā, the national membership organisation for local government professionals.

While there had been no official instruction for councils, Thomas said she had had messages from about 20 people within councils saying they were taking steps to honour the Queen, including by placing condolence books either in their libraries or main council buildings.

People can visit their local council's website or social media for information on where to pay their respects.