Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower.
The South Pacific nation marked the arrival of the new year as clocks in Auckland struck midnight 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square.
The five-minute display sent around 3,500 fireworks into the sky from multiple levels of the 240-metre tower, while many smaller community events on New Zealand’s North Island were cancelled because of forecasts of rain and possible thunderstorms.