AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) New Zealand marked its place as the
first industrialized country to enter the new millennium Saturday
with a boisterous display of its cultural diversity, with Maori war
dances and a dazzling explosion of fireworks.
The country's largest city, Auckland, played host to a
three-hour open-air performance with a cast of about 1,000
depicting the major events of the past 2,000 years, from the birth
of Jesus Christ to the present day. Handel's ''Messiah'' also was
performed.
At midnight (6 a.m. EST Friday), the sky over the city erupted
with fireworks. Thousands gathered along the city's scenic harbor,
despite fog and drizzle that muffled the effect of the brilliant
lights.
At sunrise, a series of ceremonies around the country featuring
New Zealand's indigenous Maori people was planned. Included were
''Haka'' war dances and a re-enactment of legends on the sacred
Mount Hikurangi near Gisborne, 210 miles east of Auckland.
New Zealand and possibly world ''firsts'' for the millennium
soon followed.
A baby boy was born in Auckland at 12:01 a.m., Waitakere
Hospital General Manager Rachel Haggerty said. The family did not
want to release any more details, she said.
Meanwhile, a more frivolous ''first'' was marked when New
Zealander Henry Van Ash jumped from a bridge in Queenstown, making
the initial bungee jump of the millennium. Queenstown, 600 miles
southwest of Auckland, bills itself as the town where
bungee-jumping was invented.
As for the much-publicized Y2K computer problem, there were no
immediate reports of problems other than congestion on busy phone
lines.
''The lights are still on. The situation is normal,'' said Basil
Logan, chairman of New Zealand's Y2K readiness commission.
