Happy New Year! Kiribati, New Zealand, Australia First to Welcome in 2024

The Pacific nation of Kiribati was the first to welcome in 2024.

Auckland in New Zealand has just greeted in 2024 with its annual vibrant fireworks display at the city’s iconic Sky Tower.

New Zealand’s two main islands – North Island and South Island – are both in the same time zone.

The Chatham Islands, which lie to the east, have a different time zone 45 minutes in advance.

Huge crowds are gathering in Sydney in Australia for one of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s fireworks displays.

Just before midnight there -eight tonnes of pyrotechnics will be launched from two of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks – the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Sydney is about to see in the New Year, and although the weather symbols suggest it will be dry and cloudy, there are showers very close by. However, with temperatures at 21C, it’s not likely to dampen the celebrations too much.

On the other side of the world, New York can get very cold at this time of year. Thankfully there’ll be none of that bitter cold tonight – the city that never sleeps will ring in the New Year with temperatures of 5C and a very light breeze.

Revellers in Hong Kong shouldn’t expect any issues seeing tonight’s fireworks extravaganza as the city is set for clear skies with a moderate breeze.

The last place will be Baker Island – only 650 miles away from Kiribati, but 26 hours behind, due to a time zones quirk.