The orange flame and thunderous rumble of a 25-pound gun marked the beginning of the Dunedin Anzac Day dawn service yesterday.
Two shots were fired one minute apart, before the speeches began.
The discharge left a distant car alarm buzzing, a single child crying and the crowd in shocked whispers.
The gun was fired by members of the 31B Battery RNZA (Royal New Zealand Artillery).
Member Brian Donalds said the large artillery gun was working on an improvised system, using the base of a shotgun cartridge as an ignition.
Black powder in an old brass shell was used to make the explosion.
The shells were no longer made and not many had been found.
There were only a few shells left and they were warped slightly with each use, so they were always on the lookout for more.
When fully assembled the gun weighed about 1.75 tonnes.
It could fire a shell 13,600 yards if used at full power.
The history of the gun was unknown, but it was owned by the RSA and 31B had been maintaining it for many years, he said.
The trigger for the second shot was pulled by Murray Smith, who said it had ‘‘quite a kick’’.
During previous services the force had been high enough to break the windows of nearby buildings, which had since been replaced and reinforced, he said.
