As Daffodil Day nears, Cancer Society Northland volunteers are hidden away in offices ensuring donation boxes and daffodils are ready to go.
Lorraine Hampton has been volunteering at the Cancer Society for 10 years. She said people may not know but a lot goes into ensuring everything is ready for Friday's national fundraiser.
"I don't think people realise. I'm in here about two to three days a week, sometimes for up to seven hours. It's anything from packing to putting flowers together," she said.
Friday will see the 25th Daffodil Day since the event was launched by the Cancer Society of New Zealand in 1991. The day, which is the culmination of a month of fundraising through August, provides the main income source for the Cancer Society.
Leann Smedley, fundraising events co-ordinator for the Cancer Society Northland, said last year volunteers across Northland raised $121,000 for Cancer Society Northland. She said the many volunteers across Northland were key to making the day possible, especially when close to 30,000 daffodils need sorting through.
However Ms Hampton was quite humble about the work she puts in, saying she loved it.
"It gives me something to do because I'm retired. I started doing it because of cancer in the family and I just love it," Ms Hampton said.
If Northlanders want to get involved in Daffodil Day the Cancer Society has donation boxes at a variety of locations and will have volunteers on the streets.
Events on the day include the Hikurangi Golf Club Daffodil Day Tournament, the Daffodil Day Car and Motorcycle Rally, but before then there's the Opera North Daffodil Variety Concert at Forum North tonight.