GISBORNE - The sun finally came out in Gisborne yesterday - bringing a carnival atmosphere to the city's streets after a week of storms and south-easterly gales.
The unseasonal weather forced the Gisborne District Council to spend $10,000 last week on diggers, trucks and special beach-cleaning machinery to twiceremove a carpet of logs, stones and seaweed from Waikanae and Midway beaches.
Beach cleaners have been in action every day since Christmas to prepare Gisborne's golden sands for the Ruamano 2000 dawn ceremony - the city's official $1 million millennium event on the beachfront on January 1 - because of debris left by the southeasterly weather pattern.
The council's reserves manager, Bill Brown, said it had been "incredibly unlucky" with the weather after having the beaches beautiful before Christmas.
Temperatures, usually around 27-28 deg at this time of year, have been 19-22 deg.
But yesterday the wind had begun to turn - taking with it the heavy cloud which has shrouded the city and allowing the beach cleaners a rest day.
Gisborne's central streets, closed to traffic to accommodate 500 street performers over the next three days, were abuzz with people listening to bands and buskers and spilling out of cafes.
The city's 10m-high Millennium Dome, for Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and other Ruamano 2000 performers, began to sprout from the sand dunes on Midway Beach and about 3000 Christians had arrived at the Servant 2000 gathering.
The president of the Gisborne-East Coast Retailers' Association, Jenny Harding, said the sun had drawn shoppers to the central business district yesterday, with retailers experiencing bumper trade.
"I walked down Gladstone Rd and there was a real bustle in the air - the retailers are really positive and it's proof the sun does make a difference," she said.
Gisborne police said there had been no major traffic holdups through the Waioeka Gorge, north of Gisborne, or the road from Wainui in the south.
Most travellers had a nonstop run, although a heavier volume of traffic was expected today.
The MetService weather ambassador, Bob McDavitt, said the sun should remain over Gisborne until late tomorrow and although New Year's Eve could see light showers, the city would still be one of the finest places to see the dawn.
