Last updated 13:12, April 25 2018
CAMERON BURNELL/STUFF
Hundreds gathered as the sun rose for an Anzac Day service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington.
Hundreds gathered as the sun rose for an Anzac Day service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington.
They came in their hundreds to honour the many thousands of New Zealand and Australian soldiers lost to war.
It's been 103 years since the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, but the dawn service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington also recognised the many who had served in all military conflicts.
More than 300,000 New Zealanders have served, and about 30,000 have died while doing so.
Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, lieutenant-general Tim Keating, said in his address that Anzac Day was a special and solemn day for New Zealanders.
READ MORE: Live: Anzac Day
For many, it would bring up feelings of pain and grief of the loved ones they'd lost.
Chief of the New Zealand defence force Lieutenant General Tim Keating speaks to the hundreds gathered at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.
Those who had fought and died in recent conflicts, like Afghanistan, would also be remembered.
Lachie Edwards, 13, said he believed attending an Anzac service was important "so you can learn more things about what happened in the war and the amount of people who served".
Blair Jones got up early to make it to the National War Memorial Park for the dawn service, despite being just a visitor to the city.
A young girl held by a police officer at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park Wellington.
He had made a point of attending Anzac services for a few years, he said. "It instils the idea of civility and freedom."
Keating said he especially wanted to thank the children and the young people who attended the service.
They did not seek to glorify war, but wanted to acknowledge the courage of those who served, he said.
The Pukeahu National War Memorial Park opened for the first time for Anzac Day 2015 to acknowledge the centenary of the First World War.
The Pukeahu National War Memorial Park opened for the first time for Anzac Day 2015 to acknowledge the centenary of the World War I.
But Keating said the dawn services were more than a tribute to Gallipoli.
They also represented World Wars I and II, and other conflicts, including Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, Bosnia, East Timor and Afghanistan.
"In 2018, the New Zealand Defence Force has men and women deployed across the globe who uphold these same values – they serve New Zealand with loyalty and honour."