"All the local events really do help the accommodation sector."
Ms Baxter said a large majority of the hotel's customers had been families on holiday.
"We have had quite a few families through especially when the kids were off school but I am sure it will quieten down in the next few weeks now that school is back on."
Cafe 88's Laura Pwoney said the establishment had been kept busy in recent months. "Anniversary weekend was probably our biggest weekend but it has been consistent through the whole summer." Nationwide, New Zealanders spent an extra $235 million more last month than in January 2014 - a 5.5 per cent increase.
The Paymark data showed $4.5 billion changed hands by eftpos in the first month of 2015.
There was also a 9.7 per cent increase in the number of transactions recorded, totalling 94.54 million. Paymark head of customer relations Mark Spicer said the growth was expected to continue throughout the year.
"Even with low fuel prices pulling the growth rate down, it's a good solid start to the year," he said.
"The increase in the value and volume of transactions in January are good indicators that we can expect continued growth during 2015."
The biggest spending day was Friday, January 30, with $174.3 million processed through the Paymark network - up 3.4 per cent on the same Friday in 2014. Meanwhile, mixed spending patterns were recorded on the two major anniversary weekends in Wellington and Auckland.
A decrease in spending of -0.4 per cent was recorded on Wellington Anniversary weekend, compared to the same time in 2014, while the opposite was true of Auckland Anniversary weekend. Spending in Auckland and Northland totalled $144 million - up 6.9 per cent on the same three days last year.
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