National anthem rings out across Gallipoli

The stage at Anzac Cove is being prepared for the dawn service on Saturday that will be attended by 10,500 people. Photo / Alan Gibson

Rousing renditions by performers at dress rehearsal promise main event will be poignant and memorable

The New Zealand national anthem rang out across Gallipoli yesterday as the full dress rehearsal for the Anzac Day Dawn Service kicked off - a jigsaw of Kiwi, Australian and Turkish musicians and defence personnel.

And if the rehearsal is anything to go by, the real thing will be powerful, stirring and emotional.

The rehearsal began with separate groups performing their pieces. An Australian youth choir delivering poignant and pitch-perfect background vocals; a didgeridoo player; the NZDF Maori culture group's conch shell player and the anthem singers.

Navy reservist Rebecca Nelson from Auckland will sing God Defend New Zealand; she also performed at last year's Anzac Day service at Gallipoli.

Advance Australia Fair will be sung by Australian Army Band Corps singer Simone Dew.

The Turkish national anthem Istiklal Marsi or Independence March, will be performed by Arda Aktar, an opera singer from Ankara.

As they belted out polished renditions of their national songs, the flags of all three countries were run up shining poles and flew together against the sea breeze.

Today the 10,500 people including VIPs and dignitaries attending the service will fill the area, a lush grassy field surrounded by tiered seating. They will wait for hours for it to begin as the sun comes up behind them over the hills of Gallipoli.

But yesterday the area was full of officials, performers and international media. The sun shone, but there was a chill in the air; the temperature just 6C. Similar conditions are expected for Anzac Day.

Watching from the crowd was RSA national president BJ Clark.

"It's going to be an emotional day," he said of tomorrow's main event.

"It's like a jigsaw now with all the different pieces, but it will all come together." A single wreath lay at the foot of the flag podium, damp from heavy rain the day before. It will be removed to make way for the official wreath-laying ceremony during the service.

Mr Clark told the Herald he carried a wreath from New Zealand to Gallipoli for two women at a Wellington retirement village. They had fashioned crocheted poppies around an inflatable ring and asked Mr Clark to lay it for them at Anzac Cove.

However given it would likely be moved or discarded before tomorrow's commemoration he decided against it. Instead, he carried it with him and laid it at every cemetery he visited, taking a photo of it in situ.

He will take the photos back to the women who made it.

"We got to Quinn's Post and I thought, I'll lay it here. That's the place for it to be," he said.

Dry dawn parades before rain over long weekend

A fine morning is expected tomorrow for Anzac services, but the clear skies won't hold for the rest of the long weekend.

MetService said most dawn parades would be dry thanks to a high pressure system across the country, blocking wetter weather in the Tasman Sea.

It will be a chilly start for many, with inland areas such as Hamilton, Taupo, Palmerston North and Christchurch dipping as low as 6C. Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and the West Coast may have the odd shower.

MetService meteorologist Emma Blades said once the sun came up, it would be a warm day for most.

But rain and cloud is forecast over the rest of the weekend, with heavy falls likely in western areas, and strong winds in many places.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Transport Agency is advising motorists to allow plenty of time to reach dawn events.

Thousands were expected to turn out for 100-year commemorations, which could lead to delays, said highway manager Brett Gliddon.

"Some roads around parade routes will be closed and this could affect your travel route. People should check ahead and also consider using public transport."

Heavy traffic is also expected as holidaymakers head away for the long weekend.

Mr Gliddon said congestion was expected on the Northern Gateway Toll Road and lane restrictions on the Te Atatu interchange of the Northwestern Motorway could also cause delays.

- additional reporting NZME.