Music festival goers leave weary but happy

A crowd of about 10,000 music lovers saw in the new year at Rhythm and Alps. Photos: Stephen Jaquiery
A crowd of about 10,000 music lovers saw in the new year at Rhythm and Alps. Photos: Stephen Jaquiery
Columns of tired young music lovers streamed out of the Rhythm and Alps Music Festival yesterday carrying sleeping bags, chairs, tents and mattresses.

Those spoken to by the Otago Daily Times reported having had a fine time but little or no sleep - despite earplugs in some cases - and were heading home to bed.

About 10,000 people greeted the new year at the three-day, two-night festival which describes itself as the South Island's biggest New Year's party.

The festival was the eighth held in a Cardrona Valley paddock belonging to Robrosa Station.

Festival organiser Alex Turnbull said he was pleased with the way the event ran, with no arrests and no other major issues.

He believed suggestions made to the media that St John Ambulance had dealt with cases of people affected by drugs was a case of confusion between the southern event and the Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne, where warnings were issued about drugs containing pesticides and industrial paint.

Jen Clayton and Jan Skoniezki, from the United Kingdom, stand in front of one of the cardboard...
Jen Clayton and Jan Skoniezki, from the United Kingdom, stand in front of one of the cardboard tents which were a new feature of the festival.

Mr Turnbull said the two festivals got mixed up sometimes and he knew of no drug issues at the southern event.

In a press release, Mr Turnbull said he was ''stoked'' with all the artists.

''Many of them travelled halfway around the world to get here and when they did, they put on a hell of a show.''

Mr Turnbull said the festival would be back again this year.

A crowd of around 5000 also gathered in the centre of Wanaka to see in the New Year with bands and fireworks.

Wanaka police reported two arrests for ''disorder offences''.

St John Ambulance had nine callouts in Wanaka between 10pm on New Year's Eve and 3am on New Year's Day.

Visitors from Melbourne (from left) Jonathan Edgley, Caroline Szylkrot, Claudia Mitchell and Jay Shackleton apply sunscreen as temperatures rise towards Australian levels.
Visitors from Melbourne (from left) Jonathan Edgley, Caroline Szylkrot, Claudia Mitchell and Jay Shackleton apply sunscreen as temperatures rise towards Australian levels.

A spokeswoman could not say what the call outs were for, but of the 388 call outs across the country, the top reason was for patients who were unconscious or who had ''passed out''.

Assaults were less of an issue this year.

Auckland central topped the list of call outs with 27, Queenstown had nine and Dunedin did not feature in St John's top 10.

mark.price@odt.co.nz

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