The 87-year-old woman was spotted heading down the Southern Motorway in the wrong lane by a passing ambulance who alerted police at 7.20pm on Friday, Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said.
Officers stopped the woman, who told officers she was tired after spending the entire day with her family, and had gotten "confused by the Dunedin roads".
She was given a ride home to her grandson’s house by police, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.
"It’s very concerning that she was [so] confused that she was driving the wrong way on the motorway — look after your elderly mother if she's a bit tired and confused.
"Giving her a ride home would be ideal."
Later at 11pm on Saturday, a 49-year-old woman got distracted trying to follow her phone’s GPS instructions while trying to drive over to her friend’s home in Waikouaiti.
While driving along Matanaka Dr, she ended up leaving the road and plunging down a bank and on to the sand at the Waikouaiti Beach, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.
There were no injuries but the vehicle was significantly damaged in the crash.
"That could have ended up a lot worse and the fact they were unharmed was very good."
