Despite a wet start to the long weekend, the sunshine broke through the cloud and Queen's Birthday proved to be a winner for hospitality and accommodation joints in Tauranga.
Bayfair centre manager Steve Ellingford said the mall had a "huge" past few days with the opening of the centre's new dining precinct falling during Queen's Birthday weekend.
Ellingford said the mall saw a 60 per cent increase in visitations compared to last year, with 100,000 people through the door from Thursday to Sunday.
"We thought it would be a big four days but we are absolutely blown away. It's been a massive weekend," he said.
Lone Star Tauranga owner Trevor Donaghy said business over the long weekend had been similar to last year - Saturday night had been a busy night with "everyone coming at once," while the stream of customers on Friday and Sunday night was steady.