Police have increased their presence in the Waitaki Valley this holiday period, following problems with drunken teenagers in Otematata at Labour Weekend. Sally Rae goes on the beat on New Year's Eve and in the early hours of 2010.
It's 10pm on New Year's Eve and a young man from Timaru is standing unsteadily, nursing a large bottle of beer, at a campsite at Loch Laird.
He's a happy drunk and proudly slurs that he still has "a crate" and a bottle of whisky to get through.
He also pushes up his sleeve to show where he burnt himself with a spotting knife - not that night, he hastily adds.
So far, so good for the police officers on duty in the Otematata area.
They are hoping there will not be a repeat of the fracas at Labour Weekend, when police cars and fire units were pelted with bottles and drunken teenagers ran amok.
Just prior to Christmas, Oamaru police boss Jason McCoy encouraged residents and visitors to the Waitaki Valley to contact police, day or night, if they were concerned about any anti-social behaviour, disorderly conduct, vandalism or driving offences.
A police paddy-wagon, firstly parked alongside State Highway 83 and later driven around the area, is a stark reminder of where anyone misbehaving could end up.
There is a quiet start to the New Year festivities.
At 9pm, a check-point is set up on State Highway 82 at Omarama and traffic is very light.
Senior Constable Bruce Dow reports plenty of speeding drivers since he has been stationed in the town from Boxing Day.
The highest speed clocked was 157kmh and he has suspended the licences of 10 motorists.
There is a happy atmosphere in the Omarama Hotel, but it is early in the night and publican Ross Kelman expects it to fill up later with holidaymakers, particularly those strolling over from the nearby camping ground.
Back to Otematata and down to Loch Laird just before 10pm and the requests begin from young women for photographs with police.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge's genial manner is ideal for dealing with the groups of young people.
At 10.20pm, a young man is spotted lying on one of the roads, with his girlfriend sitting beside him saying he refuses to move.
When told that a hearse could pick him up if he continued to lie there, he does not seem too concerned.
He would have had a much better night if he had been in Timaru, he grumbles.
By 11pm, both the Otematata Lakes Hotel and the Omarama Hotel have filled up and people are enjoying themselves, dancing, drinking and socialising.
The fire brigade is called to a bonfire at Fishermens Bend - down river from the Aviemore Dam - and police also attend, given that bottles were pelted at fire volunteers at Labour Weekend.
Police are called back to Fishermens Bend at 12.25pm after receiving a report of a fight.
Those involved are soon located and, not surprisingly, there are two different stories from the two groups involved.
They are told to keep away from each other and, wisely, to go to bed.
By 3am, no arrests have been made, the rear of the paddy-wagon has not been occupied and Sgt Woodbridge says he is "very happy".
Police had been monitoring the camps around the lakes and there were a few young ones gathered at Loch Laird that they had concerns about.
However, by being a bit more pro-active and talking to them when they were sober, it had paid dividends.
Police had a good relationship with camp manager Simon Fox and, when a potential problem group was identified, police would go and talk with them.
Compared with Labour Weekend, there were a lot more families camping around the lakes at Christmas-New Year and they were taking "a bit of ownership" of the camping areas, which was good.
It was the same old story - any problems with young people all revolved around alcohol consumption, Sgt Woodbridge said.
By 3.30am, there are a few stragglers unsteadily heading home around the Otematata township and the odd young couple locked in amorous clinches.
Down at Loch Laird, most have gone to bed - one young man did not make it that far and is asleep sitting upright in a camp chair - although there are still several groups of young people drinking.
One small group, who started drinking at 10.30am the previous morning, are happy they are "still going strong" and plan to keep drinking "til it's light at least".
But they are in good spirits and causing no problems and New Year greetings are exchanged with police.
"You're a good . . ." one tells Sgt Woodbridge. "Happy New Year".
