By Admin 
The year 2026 has started in New Zealand. New Zealand welcomed the New Year with a grand fireworks display from ‘Sky Tower’, the tallest building in Auckland. As the first major city to welcome the New Year, Auckland’s approximately 1.7 million residents watched as 3,500 fireworks were fired from the 240-metre (787 ft) high Sky Tower. However, the celebrations were somewhat subdued due to rain in Auckland. Many small local events in the North Island were canceled due to warnings of rain and possible storm.
First place in the world to celebrate 2026
According to NDTV report, Kiritimati island, part of the Pacific country Kiribati, is the first place in the world where the New Year began. Located in the UTC+14 time zone, this island is also known as Christmas Island.
Auckland kicks off 2026 celebrations with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower. pic.twitter.com/9UcQ0DDrUH
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 31, 2025
At the same time, New Year events were kept limited in Indonesia also. The reason for this was the floods and landslides that occurred in Sumatra last month, in which more than 1,100 people lost their lives. In the capital Jakarta, simple events focused on prayers for the victims were held, while the mayor of Makassar appealed to citizens to stay away from parties and show condolences. Whereas in Bali, fireworks shows were canceled and traditional cultural programs were organized in their place.
New Year started on a sad note in Sydney
At the same time, across the Tasman Sea in Sydney, the year 2026 started in a serious and mournful atmosphere. The impact of the mass shooting incident that took place during the Hanukkah festival on December 14, 2025 at Bondi Beach in Australia’s largest city Sydney, in which a total of 15 people died and 40 were injured, was still visible. However, despite this horrific incident, thousands of people gathered on the downtown waterfront to watch the fireworks over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. During this period, strict security arrangements were also made.
According to an Associated Press report, for the first time, policemen were deployed with rapid-fire rifles at a New Year event. A minute’s silence was observed an hour before midnight to pay tribute to the victims. Additionally, images of menorahs were projected onto the bridge pillars and attendees were urged to light their mobile phone torches in solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.
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