The morning after a night of heavy drinking proved to be the downfall of several people in Wanaka yesterday, with 11 people processed for driving with excess breath-alcohol levels.
A police checkpoint was set up at the intersection of State Highways 6 and 89, at Mt Iron, between 6.30am and 10.30am and tested 509 people, catching seven adult drivers and four youth drivers.
Just one of the 1100 people stopped and breath-tested at a checkpoint at the intersection of State Highway 6 and Camp Hill Rd, Hawea Flat on New Year's Eve, was charged with drink-driving.
Three others were processed for drink-driving elsewhere.
The operations reinforced the message that if in doubt, don't drive the morning after drinking, Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell said.
"I think you will find these people have been drinking fairly heavily overnight and had had just a few hours' sleep," he said.
Rain did not dampen most revellers' spirits on New Year's Eve but did help keep a lid on behaviour, Sergeant Aaron Nicholson said.
A crowd of more than 3000 attended celebrations at Lake Hawea, where Shapeshifter and Tiki Taane were in concert, and a slightly smaller crowd of between 2000 and 3000 were at Wanaka's live music and fire-works event on Ardmore St.
Just 13 arrests were made on New Year's Eve, for disorderly offending and liquor ban breaches.
There were no complaints of serious violence or sexual offending for the CIB staff to follow up, which pleased police.
Snr Sgt Grindell said the liquor bans were "definitely working".
"People know now. The message is getting through.
"Messages from [the] patrol were that there was hardly anybody drinking along the foreshores," Snr Sgt Grindell said.
Sgt Nicholson said he was concerned about the number of people walking on the roads between Wanaka and Lake Hawea.
There was always the potential for a serious incident, given the very dark night, the amount of traffic on the road and the very limited lighting, he said.
Other incidents included. -
•A report yesterday of an assault, described as minor.
•A two-car accident yesterday afternoon on the Luggate-Cromwell Rd near the South River vineyard. No injuries.
•The Lake Hawea Volunteer Fire Brigade was called out to a minor rubbish fire at Hawea Flat at 6.45am on Wednesday.
•The Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade attended a minor chimney fire at 50 Mt Aspiring Rd at 5pm on Wednesday.
•The Wanaka St John ambulance attended 15 calls, mostly to minor accidents and illnesses caused by alcohol consumption, station manager Don McMillan said.
