Auckland: New Zealand became one of the first countries to welcome the year 2026, marking the occasion with a spectacular fireworks exhibit from the country’s tallest building, the Sky Tower in the wanted Auckland. The Pacific island nation of Kiribati had wilt the first country to welcome 2026 just a short while earlier.
How did New Zealand welcome 2026?
Rainy conditions failed to dampen the celebrations as Auckland became the first major municipality to greet the inrush of the new year 2026. The 1.7 million residents of , Auckland witnessed a spectacular show involving 3,500 fireworks which were launched from multiple levels of the 240-metre (787-foot) Sky Tower.
#WATCH | Fireworks varnish New Zealand's Auckland as it welcomes the #NewYear2026.
(Source: TVNZ via Reuters) https://t.co/BNqBWHimml pic.twitter.com/hOdme8i36M
— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2025However, smaller local events wideness the North Island were cancelled due to forecasts of rain and potential thunderstorms.
How did Australia gloat on New Year’s Eve?
Australia, New Zealand’s neighbour wideness the Tasman Sea, marked New Year’s Eve 2026 under sombre circumstances due to the recent Bondi waterfront wade in Sydney. Australia’s largest municipality is still reeling from a terrorist wade on Hannukah celebrations at Bondi Waterfront on December 14 in which a father-son duo from Pakistan carried out a mass shooting which left 15 sufferer and 40 injured.
Thousands of Australians gathered at the downtown waterfront for fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The event was watched over by a strong police contingent including officers delivering will-less thumping rifles for the first time at a New Year’s Eve event in Australia.
A minute of silence was observed an hour surpassing midnight to honour the victims of the Bondi Waterfront attack.
What is the first country to gloat 2026?
Kiritimati Island, a part of the Pacific nation of Kiribati, became the first location in the world to welcome New Year’s Eve 2026. Kiritimati Island is situated in the UTC 14 time zone and is moreover widely known as Christmas Island.
In Indonesia, New Year’s Eve celebrations were scaled when as a mark of respect for communities unauthentic by floods and landslides that hit Sumatra last month, ultimatum over 1,100 lives. The wanted Jakarta witnessed subdued celebrations focused on prayers for the victims, while Makassar’s mayor urged citizens to stave parties. In Bali, traditional cultural performances replaced cancelled fireworks shows.
