Auckland: Kiribati, the Pacific nation has become the first country to celebrate New Year 2024. Country’s largest island, also known as Christmas Island, entered 2024 at 10:00 (GMT).

Kiribati, pronounced as Kiribass, consists of 33 atolls sprawling across an expansive region in the equatorial Pacific, stretching almost 4K km from East to West and over 2K km from North to South.

After Kiribati, New Zealand’s Auckland also welcomed the year 2024 at 11:00 (GMT) with a fireworks display from the Auckland Sky Tower and a light show over the city’s Harbour Bridge. The tip of New Zealand’s tallest tower lit up in different colours as fireworks exploded in the sky.

Fireworks have also started in Australia as New Year’s Eve celebrations enter its final stage. In Australia, Sydney Harbor Bridge will become the focal point of the famous midnight fireworks display and light show which is expected to be viewed annually by around 425 million people worldwide. Huge crowds are assembling in Sydney for one of the globe’s most breathtaking New Year’s fireworks exhibitions.