Despite the high bed prices, there was still space left to camp for $25 at the Wakatipu Rugby Club field, which was opened after Queenstown Holiday Park reached capacity.
A sign put up in the Queenstown Information Centre said there was no accommodation in the resort for under $450 on New Year's Eve.
A worker at Queenstown Information Centre said she had to turn away people who had not booked in advance and were unwilling to pay the high prices.
"There's no room at the inn. Lots of people are still looking for accommodation. It's unbelievable how many people don't book in advance," she said.
She did not think this year was as busy as previous years.
Senior consultant at Queenstown's i-site Faye Robertson said a high percentage of visitors did not book in advance.
"They are a little bit unrealistic because they don't book in advance and then are disappointed they don't get what they want at the price they want."
Some hotels had raised their prices for the busiest night of the year, she said.
However, there was still space at the recreation ground, which was unusual, she said.
Queenstown Lakes District Council holiday parks manager Greg Hartshorne said the rugby field beside Memorial Hall opened on Wednesday night when Queenstown Lakeview Holiday Park had filled up.
About 22 tents were pitched on Wednesday night.
The numbers rose to about 250 people staying at the rugby ground on New Year's Eve.
"That's way fewer than normal. It's less than half against three or four years ago. We used to cover the whole field," he said.
Accommodation was always full on New Year's Eve but people were staying for shorter periods than usual, he said.
"It's been quite over past the four or five days. Lots of people are arriving for the 30th and 31st. Big numbers are coming for one night where usually they'd stay for four or five," he said.
The visitors at the camping grounds were well-behaved, he said.
