Sevens spectators off to town for cold beer

The prospect of cold, cheap beer in town was drawing many Wellington Sevens revellers away from the tournament before it even finished this evening.

The first game in Wellington's leg of the Sevens International Series kicked off at 1pm, with 16 teams competing in 14-minute games over the next two days.

But with New Zealand having already played their games for the day at 3pm and 6pm many partygoers were leaving Westpac Stadium before the day was out to find cold beer in town.

"It's all about supply and demand," Vince Randell from Tokoroa said.

The high demand for beer in the Stadium meant there was not enough time for it to cool down before being served, so Mr Randell and his nine pirate friends were carrying on the party, with cold beers, in town, he said.

The tournament, known just as much for the party and dress-ups as it is for the rugby, swung into full gear this morning as thousands of people from around the country poured onto Wellington's streets and into Westpac Stadium.

The streets of central Wellington were splashed with colour by groups dressed as robbers, hippies, ninjas, and pirates, with many party-goers opting to miss the first few games and start the party at bars in town.

An announcement over the loud-speaker system at the stadium warned revellers they would not be let into the stadium if they were "sloshed".

The stadium increasingly filled up as the day wore on, with partygoers unable to get back into the Stadium if they left after 6pm.

Popular culture inspired many of the outfits this year, with two people dressed as stricken container ship Rena, many groups dressed as Angry Birds and another group dressed as members from popular pop group LMFAO.

The day started warm and sunny, but turned overcast bringing relief to many in full-body costumes, including teletubbies, miners and Lego men.

Val Large, dressed as a playing card, had travelled from Auckland with eight friends for this weekend's event.

She had been four times now and said the atmosphere was "fabulous".

After watching New Zealand beat Scotland 29-7 and then beat Japan 54-0 Ms Large and her friends were heading back to their hotel to continue the party and ready themselves for tomorrow.

A plan to get supporters to the tournament early has seen Museum Hotel put up $25,000 in prize money for costumes.

Individuals and groups could enter a catwalk competition from 12.30 to 2.30pm today and tomorrow.

The winner would be announced on the field on Saturday evening.

Tickets for this weekend's tournament sold out within three minutes late last year.

The final game would be played at 9.30pm on Saturday, with today's last game played at 10pm.

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-APNZ