Thousands of people attended the One Love festival at Tauranga Domain. Photo / George Novak
Thousands of people attended the One Love festival at Tauranga Domain. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga's One Love festival promised and delivered good vibes to the thousands of reggae fans who attended the long weekend event.
About 20,000 people from throughout New Zealand attended the sold-out event at the Tauranga Domain on Saturday and Sunday.
Water mist canons were placed around the domain, a much-needed relief as people moved and danced in the only way to describe the day: chilled, good vibes.
Only one person was arrested for disorderly behaviour and was issued a pre-charge warning.
A police media spokeswoman said other than that, there were no reported issues and everyone has been well behaved.
The heat was reflected in the sales at alternative fashion stall, Hipsta, which had been there every year from the Kapati Coast.
Jadene Huff, who worked at the stall, said the Rastafarian crochet bikini tops and fans were the hottest items this year.
"There was an hour of just selling fans," Huff said.
The two-day event meant hunger pangs would eventually hit, and the crowds were given a selection to cater for any craving; from kebabs to sushi, Mexican to vegan junk food.
Whakatāne-based icecream truck, The Berry Boys, were a popular choice, selling more real fruit icecream than last year.
Partly due to the better location in the festival, partly because of the heat.
Co-owner Scott Muncaster said the weather helped the boost in sales and a New Zealand berry icecream seemed to be the sweet spot between cooling off and "having something in your gut" when they were not necessarily hungry.
Wellington's Edwina Taylor came to Tauranga as a "One Love virgin" and could not fault the two days.
Taylor was there with her cousin, Jo Taylor, and stayed at a hotel in Pāpāmoa with others for the annual festival.
She said at 8am on Saturday at the hotel, music was blasting, people were doing bombs in the pool and there was a buzz of excitement.
By Sunday everything was "absolutely quiet", she said. But the hangovers were pushed to the side as they made their way back to the Domain for round two.
Taylor said while the weekend had been expensive, it was worth every cent and she would be back again.
One Love promoter Pato Alvarez, from Pato Entertainment, said this year was the fourth time the festival had sold out.
"We calculated most punters spend around $300, $400 outside One Love between accommodation, taxis, food, retail and more. That's up to $8 million back into the local economy," Alvarez said.
A six and a half hour drive from the Far North was worth it for a group of friends in their 20s, the first time at the festival.
Learning from day one, the group sat in the shade in the mid-afternoon after they left early on Saturday when the heat got the better of them.
Day two, they knew to bring camping chairs and take it easy to make sure they could last through the night, enjoying the best they days had to offer: "The good vibes".
"Bring an empty spray bottle," is advice from Junior Misi, 26, for a portable cooling system.
Like many others, there was no one artist they were most excited for and they had enjoyed the atmosphere and people just having a good time.
International stars such as Sean Paul and Shaggy, as well as Kiwi reggae favourites Katchafire, L.A.B and Sons of Zion were among the 26 artists and bands to perform.
Prestige Loos operations manager Craig Watson joined part of his team in getting a "good feed" before heading back to the event yesterday afternoon.
The team chose to dine at Sand Bakery and Cafe on Cameron Rd due to its proximity to the festival after an early start to clear the portaloos at the festival and camp sites.
The bakery ended up having a "busier than normal" weekend as dressed up festival-goers came to fuel up on Saturday and Sunday.
Owner Lina Chea said pies and the big breakfast were the most popular choice.
Tauranga City Council had received one noise complaint and two complaints about parking around the event as of 2.30pm on Sunday.
Council's community services acting general manager James Wilson said the council had worked closely with event organisers and a noise management plan was submitted and approved as part of the resource consent process.
A robust monitoring process was also in place as a part of the resource consent to monitor noise levels throughout the event, he said.
The permit allowed for "amplified noise" from 12pm to 10.30pm on Saturday, 12pm to 10pm on Sunday, and for an hour from 10am on each day for the sound checks.
Wilson said to help make Tauranga an event destination, the council supported events in the city with a team working across council departments and key city stakeholders.
Sarah Whitecliffe, 26, Jessi Burns, 25, Cody Tahiwi, 29, and Jamie Tahiwi, 29. Photo / Cira Olivier
"For the last two years, [my sister] has wanted to go but [had] no one to go with. This is my first time … we bought the tickets the day they came out," said Kay Misiuepa.
