Authorities are still looking for a couple seen near Rat Point last week before a massive fire which decimated 150ha of native vegetation near Queenstown.
The fire, first spotted by a farmer on the other side of Lake Wakatipu on Tuesday night, ravaged land on either side of the Queenstown-Glenorchy Rd, destroyed six power poles which cut electricity to Glenorchy and surrounds for almost 24 hours, and closed the road between the resort and Glenorchy for about 15 hours.
At its peak the blaze was fought by eight helicopters with monsoon buckets and 50 firefighters.
It cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to contain; the exact cost is yet to be determined.
Otago Rural Fire Authority deputy principal rural fire officer Jamie Cowan, of Queenstown, told the Otago Daily Times yesterday no hot spots had been seen since Friday night and monitoring had now ceased.
The fire, believed to have been started by a camp fire on the beach below Rat Point was being investigated by the authority and police.
Mr Cowan said the investigation team still wanted to talk to a male and female in their mid-20s, who were in a dark-coloured - possibly grey or green - older-model station wagon, who left the scene just before the fire started.
The couple had been down by the lake last Tuesday night and were seen coming back up, getting into their car and driving away.
Anyone with information could call the ORFA on 0800 673 473 or contact the police.
