New Zealand welcomes New Year with massive fireworks in Auckland

As the world prepares to turn the calendar page, New Zealand once again becomes one of the first countries to welcome the New Year. 

The celebrations were marked with a spectacular fireworks display in Auckland, lighting up the sky above the city's iconic Sky Tower.

The Sky Tower, a focal point of the city's skyline, once again served as the centrepiece of the celebrations, drawing locals and visitors



alike to witness the first major countdown of the year. In New Zealand, the Chatham Islands ring in the new year the earliest. 

The five-minute display included 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 240-meter (787-foot) Sky Tower, New Zealand's tallest structure.

Forecasts and possible thunderstorms of rain led to the cancellation of smaller community events across New Zealand's North Island.