Thousands of people rang in the New Year with deafening cheers at the Queenstown Lakefront.
Crowds were packed so tight it was difficult to move, but minutes before midnight, young revellers found their friends to celebrate with at midnight.
There were all manner of hugs, kisses and handshakes exchanged, farewelling what had been a tough year for all.
Families also lined the lakefront and despite council canning the fireworks, one distant Queenstowner took matters into their own hands by letting off their own small display, much to the delight of the lakesiders.
Bars were packed and there were still people waiting in line when the clock struck midnight— afterwards patrons kept partying.
At about 11pm a police spokeswoman said a there had been ‘‘no major issues’’ and that it had been a busy night.
However, this morning a police spokesperson reported there had been one arrest following an alleged assault.
There were a handful of arrests for disorderly behaviour in the resort.
One person was charged with common assault following an incident in Sainsbury St.
They would appear in court on January 5, she said.
In Dunedin the official fireworks display was cancelled, but residents still provided their own spectacle of noise and colour to celebrate.
After a slow start to the evening, people steadily headed into the city centre throughout the evening.
By 11.45pm, the bars in the lower Octagon were standing room only, and the larger plaza held about 250 people up for a public celebration.
As the clock crept towards midnight, pumping house music from the bars competed with a Hare Krishna group playing drums and bells in the centre of the Octagon.
However these noises were no match for a sole piper who welcomed the New Year in front of the statue of Robert Burns.
John McGlashan Pipe Band pipe major Oe Hayward played Auld Lang Syne as the wider crowd cheered, embraced and danced.
A solitary illicit roman candle was ignited in the vicinity of Moray Place as the celebrations continued into the night.
At the Rhythmn and Alps festival in the Cardrona Valley near Wanaka partygoers welcomed in the year with fireworks and live music.
It was Kiwi act Shapeshifter that had the honour of ringing in the New Year main stage — the Alpine Arena.
The band led the countdown before a spectacular fireworks display and had taken to the stage following a blistering set from 11th hour ring-ins Fat Freddy’s Drop.
Some at the festival greeted 2022 bleary-eyed while others looked set to continue partying until the music finally stopped across all four stages of the festival at 6am today.
Police at the festival site reported good behaviour with few incidents.
However the event was not without hiccups.
The festival lost five acts in rapid succession after they were identified as close contacts of the first act to pull out and New Zealand’s first community case of the Omicron strain of Covid-19 — UK DJ Dimension.
That forced a last-minute line-up change with Fat Freddy’s Drop and others stepping up to the plate.
Nearing midnight in Wanaka, the lakefront and lakefront and Dinosaur Playground were crowded with at about 8000 mostly young people.
The evening had the feeling of a party without the party.
Police were out in force, issuing fines for breaches of the liquor ban.
A team of 20 of security officers came especially from Christchurch.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council had cancelled the usual New Year’s Eve entertainment and fireworks display to avoid a Covid-19 superspreader but a security guard, who declined to be named, said that news had not reached everyone.
Many people had been disappointed and had expected something would happen, the security guard said.
With the lack of entertainment, all most people could do was stand and look at each other.
The security officer confirmed security and police had heard a rumour, circulating widely throughout town (the Otago Daily Times heard it at a bottle store), that there would be a Dunedin versus Christchurch fight at midnight on the corner of Helwick and Ardmore streets.
They and police were prepared. It did not eventuate.
At midnight, there was a casual countdown from five, then people hugged and squealed Happy New Year.
- Staff reporters
