Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said the women, all students, were treated either by police staff or transported to Dunedin Hospital by Hato Hone St John yesterday evening.
‘‘We're aware of eight females that were hit in the head at various times throughout the evening by bottles that were thrown in the crowd, [we are] not aware of any concussion or serious injuries,’’ he said.
St Patrick’s Day yesterday also involved the burning of four couches before dawn in the student quarter, with one featuring a charred wallaby, sparking outrage with an animal rights activist group.
Police told the Otago Daily Times yesterday they believed the wallaby was brought to Dunedin by students from further north and they believed it was dead before it was burned.
At 10.09pm yesterday, a 19-year-old student who had been partying rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Howe St and Great King St.
His licence was suspended for 28 days and he would appear in Dunedin District Court on drink driving and reckless driving charges on April 10.
During the evening police went to two flats, one in Park St and one in London St, to confiscate their music sound-systems.
Both confiscations went ahead without issue.
Students all around the city woke up hours before daybreak to start their St Patrick’s Day celebrations, which for most involved sinking ‘‘six before six’’ — drinking six alcoholic beverages before 6am.
The event was a day-long celebration, for many starting before dawn breaks and ending well after dusk.
