The cost of the May 23 rescue was released yesterday because of "significant media interest'', Otago Lakes area commander Inspector Olaf Jensen said.
The group of southern four-wheel-drive enthusiasts who planned a day trip on Waikaia Bush Rd, near Roxburgh, were hit by rough weather and were trapped for more than 20 hours in a snowstorm.
The bad weather prevented a helicopter rescue but they were eventually rescued, safe and well, using two snowcats.
Police had a statutory obligation to provide search and rescue (SAR) services as part of their normal operations and were funded to do so, Insp Jensen said.
The $56,927.53 cost of the rescue would come out of the police budget.
"Cost is never a factor over the safety and welfare of those needing assistance when determining the appropriate course of action or which resources to use.''
This included staff wages, costs of hiring equipment and vehicles and the local rescue helicopter.
"While there is normally some monetary cost associated with a SAR operation, this is factored into and funded from within normal police operating budgets, so there is never any financial `charge' imposed on anyone who is in distress and who needs our help,'' Insp Jensen said.
In the breakdown of costs, the most expensive item was the police involvement, at $21,675.
Twenty-one police were involved and they devoted a total of 245 hours to the operation.
The next highest charge - $16,226.71 - was for the helicopter that spent more than three hours and made several attempts to rescue the group.
An expense labelled as "other resources'' cost $14,924.57.
This covered the use of two snowcats, two skimobiles, snow groomers, the bus chartered for the rescued people, other emergency service and volunteer personnel, and related miscellaneous expenses.
Fourteen volunteers in LandSAR put in 190 hours on the operation, free of charge.
A spokesman for the vehicle owners, Curtis Martelli, of Invercargill, said the most important thing to remember was the operation was successful.
"It achieved what it went out to achieve and no lives were lost and everyone got home OK.''
He declined to make any comment on the total cost of the rescue: "I don't think I have anything to say about that.''
The Otago Daily Times understands the group made a donation to the search and rescue volunteers.
The cost of Harliwich Holdings using a bulldozer to cut a path through heavy snow and salvage the 13 snowbound vehicles a fortnight later was borne by the group. The amount paid would remain "between us and them'', Mr Martelli said.
"What they did for us was above and beyond the call of duty and they didn't even talk about any figures until it was all successfully completed.
"They were just good Kiwi buggers wanting to help us out.''
Insp Jensen thanked all those who helped with the challenging rescue, including volunteers who "make an invaluable contribution'', he said.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter was also involved in the rescue attempts but the cost of using it was not charged to police, a police spokeswoman said.
The New Zealand Defence Force could not provide the cost of its involvement in the search by deadline yesterday.
The total annual cost of police search SAR operations nationally had remained consistent over the past five financial years (from 2010-15) averaging out at $2,945,338.71 a year, Insp Jensen said.
There was no indication from police data of any significant rise in the number of SAR incidents.
