"I think their toilets got overloaded and our guests on two occasions saw them coming in and pissing in our property outside their window, he said.
"Things like that are a problem."
While they mostly appeared to be behaving, he was frustrated with the noise.
"They're not really protesting, they're okay ... the generator's probably the biggest thing at the moment, just a constant drone from sort of first light till darkness."
There were signs around the square asking protesters not to toot their horns and have respect for residents.
At least one resident at the square had departed due to the noise, he said. The last time he remembered people camping en masse in Nelson Square was when people were rushing to get home before lockdown.
"But that was more of an emergency."
He was unsure how long they would remain there, but was glad they had not continued to make noise like they had on Monday when they arrived.
"They just went round and round the square tooting horns until late at night. It was a real racket.
"When people rang you, you just couldn't hear them."
Other locals who asked not to be named said the protesters were well behaved but the noise from generators was frustrating.
The protesters had set up recycling bins at Nelson Square.
Marlborough District Council said negotiations were ongoing after meeting with protest representatives to discuss their concerns.
The council confirmed it had received many complaints from residents about the noise, anti-social behaviour and the reserve being turned into a campsite, but said the protesters had been well behaved.
According to the Ministry of Health's Covid-19 website, the vaccination rate for eligible people in Waitohi/Picton was 89.30 per cent for second doses.
The national average was 94.50 per cent.
- RNZ
