The first national bonspiel in Naseby in 80 years is over and residents are happy with the ''boost'' it brought to the village.
Ancient Briton hotel owner Adrian Hood said the national outdoor curling competition brought about 300 curlers to the area, which was ''great for the town''.
Hosting this year's bonspiel had put Naseby in the headlines again which ''shows that we are a town that punches above our weight''.
''For a population of 110 people there's a lot going on here.''
The hotel hosted the curlers' last night in town for the traditional ''Beef and Greens'' and was fully booked during the two-day competition.
Resident Marilyn Swinbourn, owner of the General Store, said the event had brought a ''little bit of a boost'' to her business, and she had heard ''positive comments'' about the curling event.
Naseby Hotel owner Deborah Timlin, however, said they still had vacancies at the hotel which was ''disappointing'', though it was a ''good few days'' for normal bar and food service.
The last bonspiel was held at Idaburn dam at Oturehua in 2012.
Maniototo's Blackstone Hill team took out the ultimate bonspiel prize this year, with seven wins and 179 points. Ranfurly was runner up with seven wins and 168 points.
In the midst of a big clean up yesterday, organiser and ice master Jock Scott said he was ''extremely'' happy with the event.
It was a ''huge'' learning curve to have 36 hours to prepare for the two-day event.
''I can't stress enough the support that I had from people who have come on board and helped out.''
He was indebted to the Idaburn Curling Council for the assistance it provided. When asked about the economic benefits to the town, he said he met a woman who told him it was the first time she had been in a traffic jam in Naseby.
''What does that tell you?''
