Watch: Auckland welcomes 2025, fireworks light up Sky Tower

New Zealand's largest city welcomed 2025 with a dazzling fireworks display at Auckland's Sky Tower.

As the clock struck midnight, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was the first major city in the world to welcome in the New Year.

The five-minute Sky Tower fireworks display, which was the highest in the Southern Hemisphere, began with a 10-second countdown projected on the base of the tower.

More than 500kg of pyrotechnics were launched from three firing sites on levels 55, 61, and 64 of the Sky Tower, positioned between 200m and 240m above ground.

This year's display was complemented by a nearly 8-minute-long synchronised laser light and animation show "in a tribute to Aotearoa's diverse celebrations, communities, and landscapes", alongside visuals projected onto the Harbour Bridge.

SkyCity chief operating officer Callum Mallett said he was "thrilled to bring this beloved tradition back to Auckland".

"The Sky Tower fireworks are an iconic part of celebrating the New Year in New Zealand and across the globe, bringing communities together to reflect on the year gone by and look ahead to the future."

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon marked the New Year by posted a photo of himself and his wife Amanda looking summery and happy at the beach.

Across the Ditch at the next major city to greet the New Year, more than a million people swarmed the main vantage points around Sydney Harbour for the city's biggest-ever new year extravaganza as millions of dollars of fireworks went up in smoke.

Skies exploded with colour across Australia and revelry continued into the early hours.

Composer Luna Pam debuted her 12-minute underwater-themed fireworks soundtrack at midnight, which rang out alongside skyward explosions and AI projections.

Much of Japan shut down ahead of the nation’s biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent a thorough cleaning.

The upcoming Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is heralded as one of rebirth — alluding to the reptile’s shedding skin. Stores in Japan, which observes the zodiac cycle from January 1, have been selling snake-themed products. Other places in Asia will mark the Year of the Snake later with the Lunar New Year.

In South Korea, celebrations were cut back or cancelled during a period of national mourning following the Sunday crash of a Jeju Air flight at Muan that killed 179 people.

In Thailand's Bangkok, shopping malls competed for crowds with live musical acts and fireworks shows. A performance by popular rap singer Lisa, the Thai member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, was scheduled just before midnight.

A fireworks display in Indonesia's Jakarta featured 800 drones.

Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of growing closeness between the leaders who face tensions with the West.

Xi told Putin their countries will “always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua News Agency said.

China has maintained ties and robust trade with Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to offset Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin.

Xi also addressed Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing: "We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family. No one can ever sever the bond of kinship between us."

In his address to the nation, Putin said Russia has "set big goals for ourselves and achieved them, and we overcame difficulties more than once because we were together".

In India, thousands of revelers in the financial hub of Mumbai flocked to the city's bustling promenade facing the Arabian Sea.

And in Dubai, thousands are were attending a fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.

Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities have an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration projected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.

On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate a vespers at St Peter's Basilica, followed by Mass on Wednesday, when he is expected to again appeal for peace amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

January 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary.

Paris will cap a momentous 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Elysées.

The Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games hosted in the French capital from July to September transformed the city into a site of joy, fraternity and astonishing sporting achievements. It also marked a milestone in its recovery from deadly extremist attacks in 2015 by al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Frank and Rowena Klar from San Francisco visited the French capital to celebrate 31 years together. "If you start it big, we think we’re going to have a great year," he said.

London was due to ring in the New Year with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames. With a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the United Kingdom, however, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, were cancelled.

But in Switzerland and some other places people embraced the cold, stripping and plunging into the water in freezing temperatures.

Rio de Janeiro will throw Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve bash on Copacabana Beach, with ferries offshore bearing 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists in cruise ships will witness the show up close.

More than 2 million people were expected at the Copacabana, hoping to squeeze into concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy-award winner Caetano Veloso.

In New York City, the organisation managing Times Square has tested its famous ball drop and inspected 2025 numerals, lights and thousands of crystals as part of a tradition going back to 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas' pyrotechnic show will be on the Strip, with 340,000 people anticipated as fireworks are launched from the rooftops of casinos. Nearby, the massive Sphere venue will display for the first time countdowns to midnight in different time zones.

In Pasadena, enthusiastic Rose Parade spectators were camping out and hoping for prime spots. And some 200,000 people were flocking to a party in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring a show by some of country music’s biggest stars.

American Samoa will be among the last to welcome 2025 — a full 24 hours after New Zealand.

— additional reporting from AAP & Associated Press