Happy campers from Timaru show off their wristbands at
Queenstown's Lake View Holiday Park. The bands show they
have paid a $50 good-behaviour bond. Photo by Jude Gillies.
Queenstown's Lake View Holiday Park manager Greg
Hartshorne has come up with a smart scheme to prevent trouble
on New Year's Eve - a plastic bangle.
The bright green wristband is part of the compulsory dress
code in the "overflow" area of the camping ground as an
instantly recognisable means of showing campers had paid
their $50 bond and were legitimate residents over the
notoriously rowdy New Year holiday period.
The overflow area was set aside each year to accommodate
younger campers separately from older visitors, family groups
and tourists.
A veteran of 15 New Year's Eves as manager of the holiday
park, Mr Hartshorne said he introduced the bangle-bond system
about 10 years ago as a way of preventing the sort of
behaviour typical of young campers when he first started in
the job.
"In the bad old days, they'd be passing out by now. It was
like a blood bath [at New Year]. I used to go in and get
patched up and go out again," he said yesterday afternoon.
Instead, yesterday, the campers in the temporary overflow
area, aged mostly between 18 and the mid-30s, were sitting
around enjoying a few beers.
Among them was a group of young men from Timaru, aged 18 and
19, who said they were there until New Year's Day and had
come for the "babes and birds" in Queenstown.
They were all sporting the green bond-band and were on their
best behaviour, especially when promised an ice cream if they
picked up the empties around their camp.
"The days of having big burly guards on duty are gone. It's
all about talking to people, security staff in uniform and
all acting in a professional manner," Mr Hart-shorne said.
"And if they lose the bangle, they have to pay $50 again.
It's their receipt."
It also sorted out the unregistered guests Mr Hartshorne
expected would be turning up at the camping ground tonight
for the New Year revelry.
By tonight, 12 security staff and Mr Hartshorne will be out
among the campers to ensure no-one causes trouble and loses
their bangle-bond.
"People say we're tough, but we're fair. We take no
prisoners. Anyone who gets involved in violence, we call the
police in and we prosecute."
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