29 Dec 2012

Resort towns gear up for big New Year's Eve parties

7:46 am on 29 December 2012

The big South Island resorts of Queenstown and Wanaka are filling up with tens of thousands of holidaymakers ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.

Queenstown Lakes District Council is working closely with police to make sure revellers have a good time without getting out of control.

Senior Sergeant John Fookes says an extra 55 police officers are now on the ground and a liquor ban is in place in the downtown areas of both resorts, confining drinking to licensed premises only.

He says the police will take a relaxed and engaging approach, but warns the fun times will not be at the expense of the local community.

Queenstown Lakes District Council events co-ordinator Jan Maxwell says the days of massive drunken crowds getting out of control are long gone, with a liquor ban in place for all public areas.

The New Year's Eve fireworks display on the Queenstown waterfront is expected to attract the biggest crowds for many years, with as many as 20,000 people expected along the shoreline.