AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Citywide celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year continued in New Zealand's biggest city of Auckland on Thursday night, with a special lantern show attracting tens of thousands of citizens.

As night fell, the Auckland Domain came to colourful life as over 800 handmade lanterns shone around trees and pathways. Each one was transported from China and had a story to tell.

As New Zealand's largest cultural festival, the 20th annual Auckland Lantern Festival kicked off on Thursday night to usher in the Chinese Lunar Year of the pig.

Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy inaugurated the festival after cheering "Happy New Year" in Chinese.

"Lantern Festival has its roots in China some two thousand years ago, but its purpose of bringing people together to enjoy a special moment of wonder and celebration transcends barriers of language, culture and time," said the governor.

"It's also a wonderful opportunity for friends, families and communities get together and celebrate just as we are today," she said.

"Auckland is of course New Zealand's most diverse city and we all benefit when we take time to appreciate and experience each other's cultures," she added.

"The Auckland Lantern Festival has made great contributions to promoting the mutual understanding and friendship and cooperation between our two peoples and also are strengthening the multicultural's changes between our two countries," Chinese Consul General in Auckland Xu Erwen told Xinhua.

Auckland Lantern Festival not only has become the largest market culture event in New Zealand, but also in south Pacific region, Xu added.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Xinhua that a quarter of a million people are expected to attend the four-day show on Feb. 14-17.

Auckland Lantern Festival has become the largest Chinese festival in New Zealand, showcasing the diverse cultural fusion in a city with 25 percent of its population of Asian origin. More than 400,000 Chinese came to Auckland last year, he added.

"This is a wonderful evening on which to launch a Lantern Festival, it also happens to be Valentine's Day. It's not only Valentine's Day in New Zealand, but also in China, so it's very appropriate that tonight we celebrate Valentine's Day as well," said the mayor.

On the Harbour Bridge, Auckland's landmark, Vector Lights will present a Year of the Pig inspired animation show at night during the festival.

New features of this year included "Traveller's Avenue" to recognize the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism, and an impressive, 7-metre plus 3.5-metre lantern of a China Southern Airline plane at the Guangzhou skyline to honour Auckland's 30th anniversary with Guangzhou as its sister city.

The festival also featured an extensive program of local and international Chinese activities, more than 100 food stalls, art and craft displays and demonstrations, karaoke and roaming performers.

"This year China sent four delegations to present the wonderful unique Chinese arts in Lantern Festival," Xu said.

The Auckland Lantern Festival is delivered by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), on behalf of Auckland Council. Stuart Turner, head of major events at ATEED, said the festival is a much-awaited cultural highlight in Auckland's events program.

"Auckland Lantern Festival's 20-year reign really does speak volumes. Its enormous popularity has dictated the festival duration, venue changes, and range of performances and attractions over the years, with the festival growing to become one of the most loved events on Auckland's calendar," said Turner.