Happy Central evening seeing in New Year

Stephanie Steel, of Clydevale, Julie Cairns, of Christchurch, Elizabeth Browne, of Christchurch, Dave Mays, of Palmerston, Shannyne Browne, of Christchurch, Steve Gee, of Christchurch, and Chris Miller, of Clydevale, have a drink outside the Dunstan Hotel in Clyde’s main street on New Year’s Eve. 

There were no public events in Central Otago but good crowds enjoyed entertainment in various centres.

Several hotels and pubs in Clyde, Cromwell, Bannockburn, Alexandra and Naseby had live music, and crowds of several hundred gathered at each venue.

At the Ancient Briton in Naseby, the annual tradition of piping in the New Year was observed.

A group of pipers and a drummer played from about 11.30pm until 1am.

Hoteliers reported well-behaved crowds, and restaurants were also busy with diners.