Queenstown harbourmaster Marty Black has yet to decide whether the couple rescued from Lake Wakatipu last Friday night will face a financial penalty.
Dart River Jet staff, Queenstown police and a local helicopter firm searched for more than a hour for the pair. They were found at 7pm, hypothermic and hopeless, in a water-filled inflatable boat near Pig and Pigeon islands.
Senior sergeant John Fookes estimates the operation cost between $4000 and $5000 but said the couple will not be charged by police.
He is leaving the decision to Mr Black, who enforces bylaws on behalf of the council.
Asked what the upshot could be for the couple, Mr Black said: ‘‘It's a work in progress. There's a significant cost to all parties.''
Mr Black, who met the rescued couple on Tuesday night, can issue fines of $300 or $500 on about 60 water safety breaches, including navigating without due care and caution, or failing to carry enough life jackets. An alternative would be for the couple to make a donation to the emergency services, he said.
The couple set off in an unsuitable inflatable boat, with one life jacket and two oars between them.
Mr Black says they ‘‘owe their lives'' to the rescue effort, particularly that of the Dart River staff who found them.
