People from as far as Hong Kong and Hawaii are joining past and present students in celebrating Mount Maunganui Primary School's 100th birthday.

Centennial festivities began on Friday with a schoolwide celebration and cutting of the cake. The celebrations continued today with a formal opening at the school this morning.

Students performed a kapa haka to mark the school's 100 years. Photos and interview by Tracy Hardy.

Principal Damien Harris says today was fantastic and a wonderful day to celebrate the school's 100 years.

'We had a few speeches from myself and the past principal, a ceremonial cake cutting and a lady who had been waiting 25 years to ring our school bell got her chance today.”

In the first 40 years, Mount Maunganui Primary School was in Totara Street before it moved to its current site on Orkney Road when the port started to expand.

Damien says the school started with 20 students and now has 470 students.

'We buried a time capsule a few days ago and that was made of a whole lot of memories from the last 100 years.

'I think we have been really well supported here and we have had a great number of people come along to the celebrations today.”

He says there were about 300 people at last night's meet and greet and Damien is expecting more tonight at the dinner and concert.

The school will remain open today for people to reminisce, followed by a dinner, guest speakers, dancing and a live band at Classic Flyers tonight.

The youngest student, Gabrielle Denyer, 5, and the oldest past pupil, Maurice Woodcraft, 87, cut the celebratory cake.