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Tauranga City Council event manger Jo Bond couldn't have asked for a better start to 2015 following the New Year's Eve celebrations overnight.

An estimated 45,000 or more people saw in the New Year down in Mount Maunganui where the Tauranga council had organised a feast of festivities for revellers.

Bumper crowds enjoyed a feast of New Year's Eve festivities down in Mount Maunganui last night, including music from local acts spread across two specifically built for celebrations last night. Photos: Tracy Hardy

Jo says everything ran according to plan and a well behaved crowd made for a very enjoyable night.

'There was a lovely mix of people, a lot of families,” says Jo. 'It was nice earlier on in the night to see all the little children coming in and getting up for a dance.

'Last night saw a real mix of ages, which is what we wanted to achieve. There was a wonderful family atmosphere which was fun and safe for everyone.”

There were only a handful of incidents during last night's event, 'which is to be expected when you get large groups of people together”.

But with plenty of support from police and event security no major incidents or problems occurred, says Jo.

'From my point of view it went really well and police were pleased as well. With such fantastic support them and our own security we were able to anticipate problems and able shut them down quickly.”

A huge line-up of entertainment throughout the night helped revellers celebrate the New Year in style.

Local acts Joe's Van, New Reptiles, Daughters of Ally and Spank the Funky, along with DJ Candy and Auckland's Hipstamatics kept people bopping well into the night.

The six musical acts were spread across two stages built specifically for the event along Marine Parade, says Jo.

'All the bands were amazing, they put so much time into preparing and rehearsing and they all just did fantastic, the audience really loved it.

'We also had the Fuse Circus down at Mt Drury and they were absolutely fantastic, they put on two shows over the course of the night and had a really good audience for each.”

Jo says a special moment for her last night was hearing the crowds along Marine Parade counting down to midnight, followed by a spectacular fireworks display.

Organisers are now currently packing down the last of the fencing and scaffolding erected for last night before scarpering off for some much needed sleep.

'I just really want to thank everyone who came last night, all the people who helped us put together this fantastic event, and the police for all their support and hard work.

'I just think it's amazing what everybody does to pull this event together and we were very happy with everyone he came to see in 2015 by our beautiful beach.”

Were you down in Mount Maunganui last night to celebrate the New Year? Post your comments below.