Rain gives revellers a break

The bad weather mostly stayed away last night as New Zealanders welcomed the New Year.

In Auckland, about 2500 people farewelled 2004 in spectacular style at the premiere of the Cirque du Soleil's acrobatic show Quidam. Among the invited guests were Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes and Olympic rowers Rob and Sonia Waddell.

Inspector Darroch Todd said hundreds more police were on duty north of Turangi, particularly in hot spots like Tauranga and Mt Maunganui.

About 100 extra staff were working in the Auckland area, many in the central city. Early last night police had dealt with a handful of domestic incidents and the odd fight, he said.

In Mt Maunganui, 10 policing units were walking the streets "hopefully fostering a spirit of good will", according to Senior Sergeant Duncan MacLeod, who said police were going into New Year's Eve with a record low number of silly season arrests.

Down by the beach, Canadians Roxanne Belle and Lorraine Jones made it to the Oceanside Bar early to get a seat. The waterside bar is an outdoor impromptu affair, surrounded by steel barriers to mark it off from the liquor ban area.

In Whangamata, many revellers started drinking in the afternoon, with hundreds of teenagers more than merry by 4pm. Thousands of people spent the evening in Williamson Park by the surf club listening to bands.

In Waihi Beach, more than 2000 people gathered at the local hotel to listen to musicians Dave Dobbyn and Brooke Fraser under a marquee.

At Sky City in Auckland, the casino's traditional party took on a carnival theme. The gaming areas, restaurants and bars featured Mardi Gras style entertainment as crowds gathered for the annual fireworks display from the tower.

Forecast

* Today: Showers, some heavy in the morning, with thunderstorms in places. Clearing in the afternoon.

* Sunday: Cloudy with showers, becoming finer in the afternoon.

* Monday: Mostly fine but some showers inland.

* Tuesday: Cloud and rain.