Source: Radio New Zealand
NYE crowds in central Wellington. RNZ / Ruth Hill
With less than two hours left of 2025, New Year’s celebrations are well underway – despite the dreary weather in many regions.
Christchurch children have been the first to welcome the New Year, with a mock countdown with confetti cannons at 7pm at North Hagley Park.
The alcohol-free event includes performances by headline act Kora and DJs, before what’s described as an “epic” fireworks display.
Dunedin is embracing its Scottish heritage, with a piper to see in the New Year at the party in the Octagon.
In Auckland, half a tonne of fireworks are set to launch from the Sky Tower for New Year.
Six months of planning and design work will take just five minutes to show off when 3500 individual shots are launched at midnight.
But another severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for areas around Auckland, which is set to end at 10pm.
The storms, with very heavy rain, were detected around just after 5.50pm on Wednesday, mainly in areas north-west of the city
“When it comes to lightning or thunder we just hold off for a little bit longer, but when it comes to 12 midnight we have to fire,” Rob McDermott from Pyrostar International told RNZ.
SkyCity warned in advance that it had plans if wind speeds exceed safety limits, but McDermott was confident they would not be needed.
“The forecast is saying that this rain is going to stop a couple of hours before midnight, the wind is dropping, it already has dropped, this morning it was about 40km/h and at the moment it’s around 20 or 25, we’ve got a limit around about 30km.
“So we’re going to be well and truly within that limit and we will fire at midnight,” McDermott said.
But there are things to see before then.
For the first time, photos of special moments through the year sent in by the public will be shown on the tower in the hours before.
“From milestone birthdays to first smiles, the images capture the moments that shaped 2024 and highlight what mattered most,” SkyCity said.
As the photos are projected, the final testing of the fireworks gets underway.
The final work was done from early Wednesday morning until mid-afternoon, with just the last tests to go.
“We had a team of five pyrotechnicians and eight from SkyCity riggers helping us up there so everything is preloaded on the ground and then we take it up in the morning,’ McDermott.
It’s involved 1.6 tonnes of equipment and 14 kilometres of cabling.
“Not a bad morning’s work,” McDermott said.
He said the world was watching at midnight and nothing could go wrong.
“We’ll head up there about 9 o’clock and we’ll just check the coverings and we’ll retest so we can retest all the electrical circuits.”
Not just the Sky Tower
Auckland’s Harbour Bridge also bursts into life at 9pm, with a promise of a band new dynamic light and sound show in the minutes before midnight.
“Roaming performers” will also feature along Queenstreet and the waterfront ahead of the clock ticking over.
Roads in the central city around the Sky Tower and Wynyard Quarter will be closed from 10pm-1am.
The Wynyard Quarter pedestrian bridge will also be upright, with no pedestrian access, from 11.45pm-12.15am.
‘Courtenay Carnival’
Further south, New Year celebrations in Wellington are also set to go off with a bang, despite the dreary weather.
In the capital, the Kids’ Countdown has just finished at Whairepo Lagoon, with a short burst of fireworks.
Orchestra Wellington is due to take the stage now, ahead of the countdown and major fireworks display at midnight.
Courtenay Place, the capital’s entertainment strip, has been transformed into “Courtenay Carnival” for the evening, with multiple stages showcasing live performances, street eats and parades.
The area between Cambridge Terrace and Tory Street, including parts of Blair and Allen Streets is closed to vehicles, with Wellington City Council encouraging people to walk, bike or use public transport to attend the festivities.
The waterfront is the setting for the main event, with covers band Electric Avenue kicking off the entertainment at Whairepo Lagoon at 8pm and the Kids Countdown and fireworks at 9.30pm.
Orchestra Wellington takes to the stage at 10pm, ahead of the countdown to 2026 and fireworks at midnight.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
