Demand for Dunedin Urgent Doctors and Accident Centre has been slightly up on previous years, boosted by international visitors in the city, practice manager Martin Chamberlain says.
Waiting times were up to two hours for consultations.
The situation eased yesterday with the opening of many GP practices after the Christmas break.
Mr Chamberlain said most of the cases were medical, rather than accidents.
Visiting cruise ships had boosted numbers of international visitors.
A spokeswoman for Dunedin Hospital said the emergency department had been no busier than usual.
