Today's Edition
Wellington (dpa)
The Pacific will be the first in the world to welcome in the new year, with fireworks shows and outdoor gatherings planned.
As the first major international centre to welcome in the New Year, the landmarks of New Zealand's largest city Auckland will light up at midnight (1100 GMT Tuesday).
Seven songs will make up a "midnight moment" soundtrack, synchronized with the lights, lasers and fireworks.
The five-minute and 30-second-long Sky Tower fireworks and laser display will start with a 10-second countdown projected onto the base of the tower.
Following this, 500 kilograms of pyrotechnics will be launched from the tower, the highest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Planning began six months ago, with 14 kilometres of electrical cabling and wiring and 1500 lines of programming code needed.
On the Auckland Harbour Bridge, 90,000 colour-changing lights will go dark before a pulsing effect counts down to the new year from 10-seconds to midnight.
The country's capital Wellington will also put on fireworks and music at an inner city lagoon.
Sydney, which is two hours behind New Zealand, will then steal the spotlight with festivities on the Australian city's harbour. More than a million people are set to take in the view as more than 9 tonnes of fireworks are launched during the night.
Fireworks will also explode over other major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide at midnight.
Kiribati's largest island, Kiritimati, home to about 5,000 people, is the first inhabited island to begin each new year, however no major events are planned.
American Samoa will be the last to ring in 2025.
