Police plan to hit motorists in the pocket with fines of up to $500 if they cross the snowbound Crown Range mountain pass while it is closed or ignore chain-fitting instructions.
They are also threatening wilful damage and dangerous or reckless driving charges against those who allegedly cut farmers' fences to get around road barriers on the closed Lindis Pass last weekend.
The warnings follow a rash of bad driving since snowstorms hit the South Island's high country from last Friday.
Snr Sgt Allan Grindell, of Wanaka, said a Queenstown Lakes District Council bylaw imposed a $500 fine for crossing the Crown Range while it was closed and $150 for ignoring advice to fit snow chains. Two people were fined on Tuesday for ignoring the road closure.
QLDC transport manager Denis Mander said contractors were having to dig and throw snow off the Crown Range yesterday because it could not be ploughed out.
Constable Craig Bennett, of Kurow, said fences on both sides of the Lindis Pass had been cut so traffic could pass when the road was closed last Friday and Saturday.
"There were graders working two abreast and they came across these cars driving through when the road was meant to be closed and had to take evasive action ... They could face both wilful damage charges re the fence and I would very likely look at dangerous or reckless driving charges because it was a deliberate or reckless act," Const Bennett said.
He also attended a report of a bus filled with children off the road at 12.30am on Saturday but when he got there road workers had pulled it out, chains had been fitted and it had gone on its way. The bus company had not been identified.
Sgt Blair Duffy, of Queenstown, said yesterday there had been "a few issues on Coronet Peak with chains".
"The public will get warned at the bottom of the mountain and continue up without complying so we sent a couple [of officers] up to assist with that."
Meanwhile, Wanaka Const Pete Reed said excessive speed in treacherous conditions was a factor in two cars sliding off the road on black ice yesterday at the Branch Burn Creek bridge.
He had not decided whether to charge the drivers with careless driving.
No-one was seriously injured.
• Wanaka skifields have received between 80cm and 180cm of snow and at least another 15cm was expected overnight.
The snow has also arrived at the right time for the Waitaki Ski Club's Awakino field above Kurow, which opens on Saturday.
Club member Chris Tschepp said more snow was expected over the next two days and a team would be going in tomorrow to groom runs and set up the lodge.
Ohau Snow Field opened on July 1 with mostly machine-made snow, but now has a 1.8m base with 30cm of new snow up until yesterday and is predicting powder conditions for the weekend.
More than 80cm of snow had fallen on Coronet Peak in the past six days, with an average base of 72cm.
A similar amount had been recorded at The Remarkables.
Parking bylaw
• $500 fine for ignoring closures of the Crown Range Rd
• $150 fine for ignoring snow chain advice
• Specific to the Lakes District and Crown Range mountain pass
