Look after your mates, wear life jackets and do not mix alcohol and water is the strong message from Queenstown Lakes harbourmaster Marty Black after two recent incidents he has labelled "sheer stupidity".
The community is already mourning one river death these holidays and Mr Black, not keen to see more accidents, has been left shaking his head in dismay at antics in Albert Town and Frankton.
On Monday, a young man was picked up by a Lakeland Adventures jet-boat driver and taken to Mr Black after he was found in an apparently intoxicated state floating down the Clutha River on a raft.
Mr Black said the man was staying at the Albert Town camping ground and had been drinking before deciding it would be a nice idea to float to Cromwell.
"He was out of his tree, had no life jacket, had a couple of stubbies in the race and didn't know where he was or where he was going . . .He had no shirt, was sunburned . . . but he did have a couple of paddles . . .
"You'd think his mates would look after him," Mr Black said.
On Sunday, two men without life jackets were found on Frankton Arm in an inflatable toy boat with beer bottles.
"Just a couple of guys in the centre of the lake, a few bottles of beer, no life jackets, no safety equipment. Just stupid," Mr Black said.
Mr Black also called for lake users to keep a sharp eye out for swimmers in Lake Wanaka.
Increasing numbers of multisport event athletes were training morning and evenings around the yellow 5-knot buoys close to shore.
It is not known when Maritime New Zealand will release results of its investigation into the jet-boat accident on the Matukituki River on Boxing Day in which Dunedin doctor Paul Joseph Woods (29), formerly of Liverpool, was killed.
