Oamaru was the place to be for good old-fashioned family fun yesterday.
The first Friendly Bay Family Day, organised by the Waitaki District Council, attracted thousands to Oamaru Harbour.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, one of the organisers of the event, had never seen so many people at the Friendly Bay beach.
‘‘The number of comments [I've heard] that people have never seen the beach so busy; it was just covered with people,'' Mr Kircher said.
‘‘It's really pleasing looking around and seeing everyone having a good time - and all for free.''
Working around the weather and the tides, Mr Kircher was thrilled to see the sun come out and temperatures reach 20degC yesterday.
Stating at 11am with a beach dig and sandcastle competition, other activities throughout the day included the Waitaki Aquatic Centre's inflatable dragon in the harbour, kayaking, House of Breakthrough's bouncy castles and slide on land, and the North Otago Hotel's mini-truck rides.
The Oamaru Lions Club Noddy train was also running and took a record number of children on rides - 431 children on 36 journeys.
Overall, everything had gone smoothly and Mr Kircher was pleased with the attendance and the support from the community.
He expressed an ‘‘absolute big thanks'' to everyone who had supported the event.
He expects the Friendly Bay Family Day to become an annual event.
The 11th annual Birdman competition on Holmes Wharf was brought forward to run in conjunction with the family day.
At least a dozen people took a leap off the wharf in weird and wonderful costumes and creations, including Superman and Homer Simpson.
