$2.51 a litre - NZ's most expensive petrol?

A national survey of petrol prices has confirmed Wanaka motorists are paying among the most and Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult says its residents are being stung with "horrifying" prices at the pump.

A NZ Herald  found motorists in the south were being stung with higher prices than elsewhere in New Zealand with the $2.45 a litre charged in Wanaka only surpassed by stations in Waiheke Island selling petrol for $2.51 a litre this morning. 

• Pumping up the price of petrol in the South

​Down south, seven petrol stations were selling 91 for more than $2.30 a litre yesterday and two were selling at $2.45 a litre, reports the Otago Daily Times.

Mr Boult told RNZ last night that prices in the pump in the Queenstown Lakes were "horrifying".

"Price increases in recent times in our part of the world have been three times what they have been in centres further north and I just can't understand it

"I think we are suffering from a relatively small population, a few number of gas stations where competition is perhaps less.

"I think we are being punished for that," Mr Boult said.

He said people in the area were "very grumpy" about how much they were paying.

"They are reading the fact that folk elsewhere in the country are paying a whole lot less."

"I filled up one of my vehicles the other night and I had to take a double take when I looked at the pump to see what it was costing me.

"It was horrifying." 

Yesterday, the New Zealand Herald asked NZME staffers across the country to send photos of prices at the pump in their towns and cities to see how they fared.

The unscientific survey received more than 100 responses and was enacted after fuel prices hit $2.30 at some stations yesterday - the most it has ever cost in NZ.

The previous high of $2.27 a litre was reached in 2013 and some are now warning fuel could hit $3 a litre in the not-so-distant future.

Consumer New Zealand says record high petrol prices could backfire on fuel companies if nothing is done to bring them down.

Meanwhile, the Automobile Association (AA) is urging the Government to cut 10c of tax off the price per litre immediately.

The Herald survey followed confirmation from AA figures that showed the price of 91 has risen by nearly 20 cents a litre since January, when it was $2.12 a litre.

The results showed 91 octane prices varied; from as cheap as $1.93 or as expensive as $2.29.

As many as 13 petrol stations were selling 91 octane for $2.29 per litre and were mainly in the South Island.

The cheapest of all was Gull Rotorua, which was selling 91 for $1.93 per litre, one of only four stations in the survey selling fuel for under $2 a litre.

The AA's Mark Stockdale said the Government had the power to bring prices down.

Taxes, including a nearly 60c per litre excise, made up a large chunk of fuel prices, something many motorists may not realise, he said.

Stockdale wanted the Government to stop charging GST on fuel excise, a move which would see prices drop 10c a litre immediately.

Asked if the Government would look at the fuel taxes in light of the increase, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the focus was ensuring anti-competitive behaviour was not contributing to ratcheting up the price.

Following the Herald roundup, readers got in touch to say they'd spied even higher prices at their local pump.

Several mentioned skyrocketing prices on Waiheke Island and calls to the BP in Oneroa and the Z in Onetangi this morning confirmed both were selling 91 for $2.51 a litre.

Down south, the Otago Daily Times found the Caltex and Mobil in Wanaka selling fuel for $2.45 a litre, the Omarama Mobil selling at $2.41, the Queenstown Caltex and Frankton Mobil and BPs selling at $2.37 and the Cromwell BP selling at $2.33.

A South Island reader got in touch to say Wanaka always seemed to be the most expensive place to buy fuel.

"Wanaka seems to be always the dearest place in the country fuel-wise. Local residents are tired of the local fuel stations absolutely ripping us off!"

Another reader got in touch to say we'd "missed a trick" by not recommending Gaspy, an app which lets consumers compare petrol prices at nearby stations on their phones.

The app is free to download and updated regularly by users.