Opinion: Anzac Day a time to come together

The 2017 Anzac Day dawn service at Ohinemutu's Muruika Urupa. Photo/Ben Fraser

As the sun rises over Lake Rotorua this morning hundreds of people will stand together at Ohinemutu as they pay their respects to our fallen soldiers.

They will have been there since before 5am, the first timers and those for whom the dawn service has become an annual tradition, rugged up against the chilly autumn morning.

All over New Zealand and Australia, we will remember those who never came back and honour those who did.

It's a special day for our country, one of the most special there is.

If you have never taken part in a dawn service, put it on your to-do list. It's worth the early start, not just to remember those who fought and died for us, but for the special feeling of standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers in quiet contemplation, putting aside everything else to just be still, to just be.

If you missed it this morning there is another chance to commemorate Anzac Day today. The Civic Service is also always popular, and with a start time of 9.30am may be a bit more attractive if getting up with the birds on a public holiday doesn't appeal.

I do wonder what those that risked their lives for our freedom in the conflicts of the 20th century would think of this 21st century world.

Would they think their sacrifice worth it? With atrocities happening in all corners of the world, children being killed by chemical warfare, the threat of nuclear bombs and - closer to home shots being fired on our streets, women being robbed in front of their children and thieves helping themselves to whatever they please.

Today's a time to think, not just of the past, but of the future.

Lest we forget.