Whangamata doesn t want to be known for having an appetite for destruction 1 January 2021
Police arrested 22 people in Whangamata last night, after droves of drunken teenagers rampaged through the streets.
Some climbed onto the roof of Blackies Cafe, and hurled bottles into the crowd and at Police.
It s understood the roof is badly damaged, and about six thousand dollars worth of stock were stolen.
Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie recalls one New Year s Eve where things got out of hand, and says it was like a warzone.
She says last night would have been horrendous, given there are record numbers of people on the peninsula.
Chaos caused by an army of boozed teens, has made for a raucous New Year s Eve for Whangamata residents
Chaos caused by an army of boozed teens, has made for a raucous New Year s Eve for Whangamata residents 1 January 2021
Police had to arm themselves with shields and batons to control the riot.
They made 22 arrests.
By the end of the night, the streets were littered with broken glass, the cafe s roof is badly damaged, and about six thousand dollars of stock were stolen.
Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie says it s incredibly selfish behaviour..
She says it not only cost the property owners a lot of money, it cost the ratepayers as well.
The Thames-Coromandel District is gearing up for its biggest summer yet
The Thames-Coromandel District is gearing up for its biggest summer yet 30 December 2020
With Covid19 restricting international travel, kiwi summer hot spots are expecting a significant increase in holiday makers.
The region will get a boost over the next few days with The Other Side music festival kicking off this afternoon, near Whangamata.
Thames and Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie says they re preparing for record numbers.
She says they re expecting upwards of 400-thousand visitors and potentially more.
Scallops (file photo).
Photo: 123rf
The ban at Ōpito Bay over summer is being put in place to prevent the collapse of the shellfish s population.
A survey by mana whenua and mana moana Ngāti Hei began yesterday in Ōpito Bay to find out how many scallops remained.
Ngāti Hei kaumātua Joe Davis told
Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan that a lack of action from officials was forcing locals to step in. We needed to do something to create some awareness about the numbers that are coming down and the signs that are telling us there is something wrong with the fisheries out here, Davis said.