By Jeff Hampton
Like the weather, the mood was good as the South Island welcomed in the new year.
Wanaka had the highest number of arrests with just 16, mainly for breaching the liquor ban, while further north, Cantabrians were just pleased to see the end of 2011.
The Canterbury crowd were all wishing for 2012 to be a year of rebuilding and hope, rather than living in dread of earthquakes, the band backing that theme with a bouncy reggae number, singing: "Everything's going to be alright."
Central Otago was one of the few places fine enough to see out 2011 with a romantic moment in the sunset.
An early evening sax helped mellow some of the estimated 50,000 holidaymakers, many escaping shaky Christchurch for a few days.
A down-town liquor ban kept trouble to a minimum, the mainly young crowd kept entertained until 2012 was heralded in with the traditional fireworks display.
Equally traditional was the swim in refreshingly cool Lake Wakatipu.
With its Scottish traditions, Dunedin's Octagon attracts a big crowd on New Year's Eve and last night was no different.
At Kaiteriteri in the Nelson region you'd think campers would have had enough of water, but the beachfront fireworks display helped them forget the wet start to their holiday.
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