Locals and visitors are celebrating cheaper fuel prices offered by a self-service petrol station in Wanaka.
A McKeown Cardfuel 24/7, in Ballantyne Rd near Wanaka Wastebusters, began pumping late this week.
Its prices yesterday were $1.79 per litre for 91 regular unleaded, $1.87 per litre for premium unleaded and $0.92 for diesel.
Prices at the Wanaka Caltex and BP were $1.94 for 91 unleaded, $2.04 for premium unleaded and $1.29 for diesel.
The fuel station is card-only and unmanned, although staff will be on site early next week to help customers use it.
It opens officially on Monday.
Wanaka resident Harry Clark, who bought petrol at the station yesterday, said it was "most certainly'' time for affordable fuel in the town.
"This is absolutely magic. We've been getting ripped off. Wanaka must be one of the most expensive places in the country to fill up.
"I used to load up eight 10-litre cans on the truck and fill them up in Cromwell to use for the car.''
Another customer, Paul Heslip, of Hokonui, Southland, said he regularly drove to Wanaka to deliver meat, but had avoided using the resort's petrol stations in the past.
"I could never fill up here. It was too expensive. It's well and truly time for cheaper fuel in Wanaka.''
McKeown sales and marketing manager Paul Lindsay said the station was under construction for about 18 months.
"It fits in with our overall strategy. There was certainly a demand from our clients.''
The company had a standardised price throughout all its locations, he said.
"It is not our place to comment on other prices in the town,'' Mr Lindsay said.
The station catered to the general public and industrial vehicles, he said.
McKeown is an independent fuel company founded in Oamaru in 1966.
It has 24 Cardfuel sites across the South Island including Alexandra, Port Chalmers and Oamaru.
The company owns other service stations across the country under the Caltex brand.
Caltex Wanaka operator Matt Davison was unavailable for comment yesterday and the owner of BP Wanaka declined to comment.
