A Tauranga tree covered with 600 knitted red poppies along Fraser St stands as a reminder to passers-by of Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

The idea came from Age Concern Tauranga volunteer Nola Ott – and the extra fingers to help craft it came from The Tauranga Ninja Knits, a group of about 10 yarn artists which meet monthly.

'One lady has crocheted 315 poppies,” says Nola. 'Some have done 10 to 12 and some have done 100.

'They are all different styles of poppies, but that represents all the different men involved in the wars.”

Nola had the idea in 2022, while visiting an older woman in her home. 'We go and visit people who may be lonely or isolated in the community.

'I showed one of the ladies a display I'd made while knitting at her house. My coordinator thought they were lovely, and that we could put them on the tree outside Age Concern Tauranga office in Fraser St.

'But it was only three weeks before Anzac Day last year, so during the year when we've had time, we've made poppies [for this Anzac].”

'We did a call out to the community and people have been dropping off red poppies to Nola,” says Ninja Knits member Wendy Pedersen.

The poppies will remain in place until Anzac Day on April 25.