Anzac Day
Wednesday was Anzac Day in New Zealand. I went to the memorial at 5:30 am. People gradually appeared out of the fog in ones, twos and sometimes families to stand in front of the cenotaph. Four soldiers marched in and took up cardinal positions around the cenotaph and an honor guard appeared off to the left.
The crowd had grown by this point. From outside the park came the cries of a sergeant leading his soldiers and all the veterans marched into the park to take their places directly in front of the cenotaph. There followed a service to remember New Zealand's veterans. At one point, the crowd responded "We will remember" in a low, hushed but powerful voice.
Following the service, the bagpipe band led the veterans out of the park, into town and down Highway 1.
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