Queenstown police, heartened by the behaviour of holiday-makers in the resort, both on the roads and in the CBD after dark, urge people to continue behaving responsibly and looking after their friends.
Over the weekend police dealt with only a handful of incidents and a single assault complaint.
Sergeant Mark Gill, of Queenstown, said a 22-year-old Invercargill man would appear in the Queenstown District Court following an incident at Winnies in The Mall.
The man was asked to leave the bar about 12.30am yesterday and while being escorted, he ''grabbed the bouncer by the throat and punched him to the face''. The bouncer was uninjured.
At 1.30am on Saturday a 27-year-old man from the United States was breath-tested after being stopped by police in Richards Park Lane. The man elected to have a blood sample taken and police were awaiting results.
A 21-year-old Christchurch man was arrested and charged with drink-driving at 7.30am yesterday after police were called to Hensman Rd. Sgt Gill said residents contacted police about a vehicle driving up and down the road causing a disturbance. Police said the man recorded a breath-alcohol level of 478mcg.
Police were also called to two minor car crashes yesterday, the first at 8.20am in Frankton Rd. Sgt Gill said a 28-year-old English woman, who was uninjured, had not allowed sufficient stopping distance and crashed into a vehicle in front of her.
A 20-year-old woman from the United States was uninjured after her car ran off the Crown Range Rd about 1pm yesterday.
Heading towards Wanaka, the woman swerved to overtake a cyclist near the summit of the road and ended up in a ditch on the other side of the road.
Police were inquiring about two wilful damage incidents in the CBD early yesterday: a large window at the Southern Discoveries building on the corner of Camp St and The Mall was smashed about 1.10am and the ''Happy Travels'' sign on Shotover St was found hanging from its wires about 2.20am, Sgt Gill said.
Generally, police were happy with the behaviour of holiday-makers.
''There's certainly a couple of people who have been issued warnings for liquor ban breaches in the Marine Parade area - young people down there deciding they wish to drink.
''But, considering the number of people in town, they're very well behaved at the moment. Hopefully, that continues into the New Year festivities.''
Police encouraged revellers to be courteous on the roads, drink responsibly, look after each other and enjoy the festivities ''without coming to the attention of police''.
