The ripples of nervous energy through the occupied grounds of Parliament early this morning were enough to hint trouble was brewing.
It was 5am, a brisk Wellington breeze whistled through the camp in the gloom of pre-dawn.
Only a handful of protesters had emerged from their tents, many using hoodies or blankets to shield them from the cold wind.
It was still quiet then. Flags flapped, tarpaulins rustled. Chimes hanging from the Hare Krishna tent jingled, a pleasant morning alarm.
Police outside Parliament House continued their motionless watch of the protest's frontline, giving nothing away.
However, all was not calm. Protest security guards, all volunteers, seemed on edge as if waiting for something to happen.
One walked past, inquiring whether people were leaving the camp. He urged them to stay, saying they needed "big numbers" but gave no reason why.
It was later revealed police had tipped off senior protesters to their plans to tighten the concrete boundary.
It seems protesters were still in the dark on what tactics police would use achieve their goal.
Tensions rose at the heart of the protest. One man was roughly pulled off the barricade outside Parliament House by his fellow protesters, others fearing his actions would incite a police response.
Those gathered on the ground spoke in hushed tones, talking of infiltrators among their ranks from the US-based left-wing group Antifa.
It was 6am when hundreds of police - armed with riot shields - marched down Parliament's northern side, making their way along Hill St to the intersection of Molesworth and Aitken St.
The response from the protesters was varied. Some sprinted to police as they formed a line, others only offered a look in their direction before retiring back to their tent.
Many tried to rouse their dosing comrades, tooting car horns and sounding sirens.
Before long, police had assembled at each of the three roads. Those with riot gear first went to Aitken St as protesters, still wiping sleep from their eyes, tried to comprehend what was going on.
They soon became aware of the plan that had been explained to a select few in their ranks - forklifts emerged and began ferrying the concrete blocks laid yesterday, closer to Parliament.
Protesters were at pains to emphasise the need to stay peaceful. A woman, presumably trying to access her car past the police line, was roughly shoved against another vehicle by an officer, invoking cries of anger.
Little did they know that was only a taste of what was to come.
From Aitken, riot police shifted to Molesworth St and waited behind a line of unarmed officers who periodically pushed the protesters further and further back.
Shock echoed through the area as a white car drove into police from behind, further ratcheting up the tension.
It wasn't until an officer muttered to his colleague that team 1 and 2 would "move in", that action became imminent.
Under the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, the patron saint of tent-makers, police charged - shields extended as they burst through outraged protesters.
Scenes protesters had perhaps imagined along their convoy to Wellington had finally come to pass.
Officers, yelling instructions, surged against protesters until they were forced against the line of portaloos at the nearby intersection.
The anger and pain felt by protesters, which to this point had remained largely dormant, rose to the surface.
Several left the scene bloodied and dishevelled. Three officers required attention from paramedics after a substance, believed to be acid, was thrown in their face - a day after protesters threw human waste in the same manner.
Police soon organised themselves, forming a circle before slowly retreating back where they had come.
Protesters followed them all the way. Calls by some to form a line and let police leave were ignored.
The drama ended as quickly as it had started. Riot shields disappeared and protesters soon became more interested in breakfast than the officers.
Now, with a day of impassioned speeches and calls to action expected, the ball is now firmly in the protester's court until the next morning dawns.
Nicola Willis' post-Budget event in Wellington.
