Drunken yobs mar Wildfoods Festival

Hokitika is reeling in the messy aftermath of the weekend's Wildfoods Festival, as rubbish litters the town centre and smashed windows are replaced, according to police.

Hokitika police watchhouse officer Julie Wilkinson said the town's Wildfoods Festival had changed from a family-orientated event into something that now petrified older residents and kept most locals in hiding.

Police had struggled to control about 25,000 under-age troublemakers at the weekend, she said.

Ms Wilkinson said there had been "a lot of fighting, a lot of drunkenness," and many "very, very under-age drunk people".

Hokitika police, with West Coast, Christchurch and Blenheim back-up, arrested more than 20 people.

Ms Wilkinson said the figure was down on last year but did not reflect an improvement.

Hoards of revellers swarmed to Hokitika over the weekend for a "disgusting youth drinking orgy", she said.

Damaged property over the weekend included smashed windows and a broken fence.

The town centre had remained littered with beer cans, plastic cups and rubbish this morning.

Ms Wilkinson said many residents had had enough and wanted an end to the festival.

"Old people are petrified and most of us stay home. People just don't want to know."

Number restrictions did not seem to help, as many troublemakers were not in town for the festival, she said.

Wildfoods Festival organiser Mike Keenan agreed that the weekend's activities had been marred by an increase in intoxicated "party-goers".

But only four people were removed from the festival site and taken to police holding cells, he said.

Many other outlets around town sold alcohol and herbal highs throughout the weekend and festival organisers could not be held entirely responsible for "everything that happens", he said.

People in two vehicles had peddled a range of herbal party pills around town throughout the weekend, he said.

"We can't do anything about it. The majority of people come here to have a good time and enjoy themselves and the community groups benefit from that."

Early estimates suggested the festival had generated around $2 million.

Mr Keenan said the festival committee would address any concerns and consider future marketing ploys at an event de-brief.

- NZPA