Every pint counts
After weeks of drinking at home over Zoom with friends, Kiwis were finally able to socialise at one of our country’s most popular settings, the bar.
Albeit under new rules. Alert level 2 allowed bars to reopen on Thursday, if the establishments transformed to abide by the ‘‘Three S’’ rules that customers must be seated in groups no larger than 10, separated from one another and have a single server.
That meant there was to be no dancing, no intermingling between tables and no standing.
Palmerston North, like the rest of New Zealand, has turned into a footloose town.
Across Friday and Saturday night, staff worked hard to ensure people remained seated and stuck to their groups, adapting to table service - the long-standing tradition of lining up at the bar for your next round.
Regent Arcade bars owner Gary Wright opted for a $10 seat payment at Bubbles so groups could secure their seats for the night, taking in the live band.
The usually packed dance floor was reorganised with table and chairs for the up to 50 people who paid for the night of entertainment – along with many glasses of wine.
Colleen Mchardy, 51 and her fiance Alan Montgomery, 57, were excited to be out of the house and back in a social atmosphere.
‘‘It’s nice to get back to a little bit of normality, but still feeling safe at the same time.’’
While the usual drunken shenanigans of the city’s nightlife had been tamed, laughter rang out over the music as friends reconnected.
At a table nearby, Natasha Browne, 39, revelled in her first night out with friends in almost eight weeks.
Video chats were good to keep friends interacting, but humans are social creatures, she said. Around the corner at The Office, bouncers were working hard to control intoxicated people wandering between tables.
Punters were interacting with other groups, putting pressure on staff trying to keep everyone in their chairs as they attempted to obey the Government’s rules.
Emily Apatu, 18, was sitting outside with her friends watching the night unfold.
‘‘People in the bars aren’t distancing. It’s just too hard to remember who belongs to what group.’’
At The Fish, Ben Karam, 23, was sharing a round of cocktails with his best friend and partner.
‘‘It’s been a while,’’ Karam said. ‘‘We’re young, and so we want to get out and socialise.’’