Wānaka‘s New Year celebrations were quieter than previous years, thanks to Covid-19 restrictions, but an estimated 2,000 young people thronged to the town centre to see in 2022.

Some Wānaka locals observed that the usual New Year’s vibe was absent, and Lake Bar owner Peter Byrne said, despite the crowds, the atmosphere was “terribly flat”.

“There doesn’t seem to be a lot of exuberance out there,” he said.

The council cancelled its annual New Year’s Eve celebrations, which include a fireworks display and live entertainment, because under the Orange traffic light setting all attendees would have to be vaccinated and their passes checked otherwise the event would be limited to only 50 people.

However, the cancellations did not deter the many revellers, and the Wānaka App noted that almost no one was wearing a mask or physically distancing.

A police spokesperson told the Wānaka App that police in the Otago Lakes region were generally pleased with the behaviour of party-goers last night.

“While there were a handful of arrests, the vast majority of people drank responsibly and got home safely,” they said.

In Wānaka township, two people were arrested for disorder and two for assault. At the Rhythm & Alps Festival in the Cardrona Valley, two were arrested for disorder and one for assault.

There were also several people processed for drink driving in Wānaka and Hāwea.

Midnight munchies: One of the biggest queues was for a hot pie at the Dough Bin.

Alcohol harm prevention organisation Red Frogs had around 20-25 volunteers in Wānaka last night.

Red Frogs national media liaison Shannon Thomson said the volunteers hadn’t had to deal with as many intoxicated people this year compared with previous years, but that was largely due to Covid restrictions on their operations. In past years the group would be baking pancakes, handing out sweets and interacting with the crowd, but this year they restricted themselves to just handing out water.

Shannon estimated somewhere around 2,000 young people had come to the town centre to see in the New Year. 

She said the crew had noticed a lot of “really young people” in town, around 13 to 18-years-old, but said they weren’t particularly intoxicated - just “in good spirits”.

Wānaka police had reported an influx of young people entering the Wānaka CBD and drinking alcohol in the evenings over the preceding week. Police attended a number of disorder incidents involving young people and house parties without suitable adult supervision, Wānaka response manager Sergeant Kim Chirnside said.

Queues for the Water Bar after midnight.

Adam Ellis, who was on the gate at Trout Bar last night, said he had been on duty all day and almost everyone had been “really good and having a good time”. 

Only a few people “had been niggly” about showing vaccine passes but most “had been super supportive” and just showed them as if it was normal, he said.

Adam said there had been no problems with underage drinkers trying to get into the fenced off entrance. The police presence was pretty relaxed, he said, they seemed to be “just keeping an eye on things” .

“It’s been a good evening, everyone’s having fun,” Adam said.

In past years the CBD had been fenced off to vehicles so the crowds could wander along the road, however this didn’t happen this year which meant traffic, including taxis, could access the centre of town.

No traffic restrictions meant cars and party-goers mixed on Ardmore Street.

A Yello taxi driver told the Wānaka App the business had been “flat out” most of the afternoon transporting people from the suburbs to town and between suburbs. 

Business had gone quiet around 11:00pm but began to pick up again after midnight.

The taxi driver thought it was a good sign that many were being serious about not drinking and driving.

Yello had to draft in additional drivers to cope with the extra buses to ferry Rhythm & Alps festival-goers between Cardrona and Wānaka, while their local drivers managed the Yello taxi service.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App