Popular Hawke's Bay holiday spot Māhia's move to orange just in time for new year celebrations is not a green light for huge crowds to cause carnage, the district's mayor says.
Rhythm and Vines music festival's postponement and a change in the Covid traffic light system in the Wairoa District from red to orange on Friday could swell crowds above the usual summer thousands, Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said.
The population of the usually quiet township of Māhia explodes each year during the new year as people flock to the beach destination.
"Last year it bulged to about an extra 18,000 people, and I think it could be more this year without Rhythm and Vines [in Gisborne] going ahead," Little said.
"It's going to be pretty hectic out there and I hope we can cope with it. I really hope people don't flout wearing masks and everything else, because we don't want Covid in Wairoa."