Speeding tickets were prolific in Central Otago over the weekend, as police reported huge numbers of motorists in the district. 

Motorcyclists arrived in droves from all over the country for the annual Vincent County Rally at Galloway, and many international tourists also arrived for Chinese New Year.

Alexandra Police Senior Constable Graham Perkins said one tourist from India was caught travelling at 147 km/hr from a road patrol near Omarama.  

Anyone travelling at 41km/hr over the limit instantly lost their licence and up to 40km was a $500 fine.

Five Chinese nationals were caught travelling well over the speed limit near Ranfurly - one that had a top speed of 138/km/hr.

Six motorcyclists were also stopped for speeding, with 39 infringements issued in the Maniototo in just one weekend (7 over 130km/hr; 14 over 120km/hr and 11 between 110-120km/hr).

Another motorcycle rider was stopped after travelling 127km/hr in a 70km/hr zone on Bridge Hill, and a rider at Chatto Creek was escorted home by police after travelling at 142km/hr.

“The rest were riding responsibly and engaging with police,” he said.

Cromwell Police caught another 20 motorists speeding over the weekend and noted the traffic was extremely heavy at times.

Police were also frustrated at a problem spot on the highway outside the Fairview Orchard north of Roxburgh, where a motorist was shunted by another driver when turning off the highway on January 30.

Snr Const Perkins said the offending female driver failed to identify the distance of the car in front of her, and the motorist was pushed into the opposing lane and oncoming traffic.

“This location has had many near misses over the years and near crashes but NZTA hasn’t addressed the situation,” he said.

Both drivers suffered whiplash and their vehicles were also written off.

Have a story to share?

Contact [email protected]