Happy New Year - 2016 begins with a bang

New Year's Eve Revellers watching the fireworks over Mount Drury. Photo/Andrew Warner

Tens of thousands of revellers flocked to Mount Maunganui and downtown Tauranga for their New Year's Eve celebrations.

Mount Maunganui switched into New Year's Eve party mode early.

An estimated 50,000 swarmed into Marine Parade and the main Mount Streets, and numbers swelled further as midnight approached.

There were people everywhere, and bars and restaurants were jam-packed.

Later in the night thousands of young people danced on the sand in front of the iHeartRadio Beach Stage.

With a great entertainment, and a mainly family-friendly carnival atmosphere, many revellers were in high spirits .

A number of revellers had clearly over indulged, some being assisted by police, or St John Ambulance staff.

With a high police presence and tight security any outbreaks of disorder were quickly quelled.

In downtown Tauranga hundreds of families lined the waterfront to watch the harbourside fireworks displays, and bars and restaurants along The Strand were also full.