'You can't just decide to do some sightseeing': Police tell motorists to go home | Star News
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Saturday, Sat, 14 DecemberDec 2024
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'You can't just decide to do some sightseeing': Police tell motorists to go home

Police said "six or seven" vehicles were stopped by officers during a 50-minute blitz at Tai Tapu...
Police said "six or seven" vehicles were stopped by officers during a 50-minute blitz at Tai Tapu. Photo: File image / Alan Gibson via NZH
Sightseers on their way to Akaroa for the weekend were stopped and turned around by police.

Police said "six or seven" vehicles were stopped by officers during a 50-minute blitz at Tai Tapu on Saturday afternoon. The occupants were told to turn around and go back to their bubbles.

Dean Harker.
Dean Harker.
About half of the vehicles had been travelling from Christchurch and half from the Selwyn district, said Senior Sergeant Dean Harker.

They could not give a justifiable reason for going to Akaroa, he said.

"You can't just decide you are going to do some sightseeing somewhere and drive outside of your area," Harker said.

Elsewhere in the Selwyn district, police issued six infringement notices over the weekend to drivers for breaking lockdown rules.

Harker said motorists issued with infringement notices had either been in vehicles with two or more people from different bubbles, or had not been able to give any justifiable reason for being out on the road. 

While Selwyn residents were generally doing a good job of staying in their bubbles and observing lockdown rules, a few were not.

The motorists issued infringement notices had been stopped at various times of the day in various areas of the district.

They had already received a warning before being fined.

"Anyone we stop, we warn them and give them educational advice. If we stop them again, it doesn't really add up if they have previously been warned," Harker said.