Thousands join second wave of climate protests in New Zealand

Demonstrators marched to New Zealand's parliament located in Wellington was one of the largest protests ever held there and organizers needed to change their security plans to accommodate the swelling crowd.

Auckland: The second wave of protests demanding swift action on climate change lashed the streets of Auckland on Friday.

Demonstrators marched to New Zealand's parliament located in Wellington was one of the largest protests ever held there and organizers needed to change their security plans to accommodate the swelling crowd.

The protests were inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who spoke to the world leaders this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The timing of the protest coincided with that of the UN meeting and was joined by millions of people. New Zealand and several other countries focused their protest efforts on the second wave, bookending a week in which climate change was at the forefront of the global conversation.

The crowd consisted mainly of young people who took personal responsibility to unite their voice for climate change.

Thunberg tweeted that she planned to attend a protest on Friday in Montreal.

In Wellington, Raven Maeder from School Strike 4 Climate, the organiser of the march, told the gathered crowd that although it was easy to feel like "the forces that are destroying both the planet and our people are going to win," the strikes plant seeds of hope.