Tears of disappointment were shed last evening at Wanaka's Gin and Raspberry bar, where Gigatown supporters had gathered to watch the live announcement of the winner of the Chorus competition.
As Dunedin was declared New Zealand's first Gigatown, people who had worked tirelessly for 14 months to promote Wanaka's campaign became emotional and were comforted with hugs from other supporters.
Despite the obvious sense of deflation, those spoken to by the Otago Daily Times remained positive about the competition.
A teary-eyed GigatownWanaka campaign co-ordinator, Gemma Studholme, said the ''challenging and exciting'' contest brought the community together.
Queenstown Lakes deputy mayor Lyal Cocks, of Wanaka, was at the Chorus announcement in Wellington and said despite the disappointment shared by Wanaka and its supporters nationwide, much had been learnt and done that would still be of significant benefit to the town and the wider district.
He thanked the small group of Wanaka people who deserved ''a big pat on the back for the grunt they put in'' to get their town into the final of the Chorus Gigatown competition.
