The new year’s celebrations and events were a big hit with the town between fireworks and music on the lakefront, Rhythm and Alps in the Cardrona Valley and New Zealand rock band Shihad making an appearance a few days after the new year.
In the days leading up to the new year, Wānaka was filled with thousands of people, mainly from other parts of Otago and Canterbury, ready to enjoy the town’s lively celebrations.
There were many families, and even more young people on their first road trip with friends.
In the last few days of December, the main lakefront was already being set up for New Year’s Eve, the night everyone was here to celebrate.
On the long-awaited night of New Year’s Eve, the town was buzzing with excitement.
Bars and restaurants were packed in the evening as people had their dinners before walking down to the lake to enjoy the music or reserve a prime spot on the beach to watch the fireworks.
Most of Ardmore St was closed off to cars around 7pm and the music started shortly afterwards.
It did not take long for the lakefront to generate a sizable crowd of teenagers, out-of-town visitors and families dancing to the music and counting down to the new year with a ten-minute-long fireworks show.
While the lakefront drew a substantial crowd, the Cardrona Valley had its own massive crowd enjoying a two-day music festival.
Rhythm and Alps was the South Islands’ biggest music festival over the summer, opening its doors on December 30 in the Cardrona Valley at 10am for all those camping to start setting up before the music started at 4pm.
Publicity manager Lucy Macrae said the festival welcomed 10,000 people each day, and around 3000 of those were camping on-site.
"It’s enough for it to feel exciting but you never feel unsafe," she said.
General manager Harry Gorringe said the first night of the festival was a success, the crowd behaviour being "fantastic".
"We had no injuries, illnesses or health issues," he said.
The second day brought in even more people who came specifically to celebrate the new year and see the firework display.
The band Shapeshifters played at midnight as the countdown began and the fireworks took off behind the hills.
The festival continued after that, music playing until 6am on January 1.
As the New Year’s Eve celebrations came to an end, some visitors either prepared to head home or took a few days to recover from the excitement.
However, many locals and visitors had yet another major event to look forward to.
The New Zealand band Shihad had started their farewell tour after decades of being one of the country’s leading rock bands.
Their second stop was Wānaka, where they took over the Rhythm and Alps set-up to provide their Otago fans with a final show they would not forget.
The band played at least one song from each of their albums over the years, and the crowd’s ecstatic response was proof the band had made quite an impact.
Wānaka had once again delivered an unforgettable start to the new year for both its locals and visitors.
