Ports of Auckland operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year - except for the duration of the ANZAC Day dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
This year will mark the nineteenth year the port will halt operations and switch off over 1,000 lights across the Waitematā seaport during the commemoration service as a sign of respect for those who served New Zealand at war. This video captures the lights being turned off for the 2015 service.
Prior to 2009, light from the port could be seen as far as the museum until work was undertaken to significantly reduce light pollution. By then, the act of pausing operations and switching off the lights had become not just practical, but symbolic, solidifying itself as port tradition.
All primary lighting from Fergusson Container Terminal to Captain Cook Wharf was turned off between 6am and 6.40am on 25 April. The ongoing installation of LED lighting across the port also means the majority can be turned off instantaneously and remotely.