The 16-year-old boy allegedly stole his parents’ car from Christchurch and drove it south with the intention of going to Invercargill, Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said.
Police received complaints about the boy’s manner of driving after he reached Palmerston, at about 6pm on Friday.
The boy had left Christchurch with two passengers in the car and was "driving erratically all over the road".
The distance between Christchurch and Invercargill is about 570km, or a more-than seven-hour trip when travelling to the speed limit.
Officers attempted to spike the vehicle as it entered Dunedin, but were unsuccessful.
While in the city, the boy picked up a third passenger.
A second attempt to spike the vehicle was successful when it reached East Taieri, Snr Sgt Bond said.
The boy and his three passengers — another 16-year-old, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old girl — were all arrested.
The driver was charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and reckless driving. Two of the passengers were charged with unlawfully entering a motor vehicle.
The two 16-year-olds would appear in the Youth Court in Dunedin this morning, while the 19-year-old was bailed to appear at a later date.
Investigations were ongoing regarding the 17-year-old girl.
The parents of the teenagers had been contacted to make arrangements to get them back home, Snr Sgt Bond said.
