Updated 8.23am: The man leading the Anzac Day parade in Christchurch is 102 years old.

Bill Mitchell was out front this morning, flanked by soldiers on horseback.

Other veterans marched behind him.

One veteran explaining his pride at be able to lay a wreath this morning.

"Especially because I've got an uncle who was killed at Gallipoli. He's on one of those crosses up there. He was a very brave man and it's great to be here today for the 100."

Gunshots rang out from Christchurch's Cramner Square this morning, as thousands commemorated the terrible cost of the Gallipoli campaign.

Emily Murphy was there.

"As the sun rose over Cramner Square the crowd stood in silence to reflect and remember the many young lives that were lost. Children jumped on parents shoulders to get a better glimpse of the ceremony. As the crowd dispersed many stayed behind to hear stories of their relatives."