In Fiji, lights were turned off but not television sets as the island nation gets set to face off against Kenya in the all important Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. At Davis Station, Antarctica, the lights will go off - but not the heating - as scientists settle in for a candlelit dinner.

Wet conditions failed to dampen the enthusiasm for Earth Hour celebrations in New Zealand - although the event was also tinged with sadness as participants recalled the former key role of the city of Christchurch, devastated by an earthquake last month. 

In the capital, Wellington's Mayor Celia Wade Brown switched off lights for the Earth Hour event at the Carter Observatory. Speaking at the event, WWF-New Zealand Executive Director Chris Howe emphasized the collective power of the Earth Hour global movement: "When we take small actions as part of a global community, we can make a big difference and create a future where people live in harmony with nature," he said.

In Auckland, the Sky Tower - the tallest free standing structure in the southern hemisphere - switched off lights, Hamilton's Earth Hour revellers braved thunder and lightning to attend Earth Hour 'lights out' events at restaurants and bars, and people in Alexandra enjoyed music by candlelight in Centennial Park.

Beyond the hour activities for Earth Hour have been most comprehensively embraced in Tauranga, a coastal city south of Auckland, with 41 businesses and organisations committing themselves to environmental action, including students planting 1000 trees along the expressway and the Port of Tauranga pledging to cut energy use.