A Coromandel Police officer was on her way to one crash when she came across this car on SH25A

"What were you thinking? Police ask Irish tourist"

What on earth was he thinking was the reaction by a senior Waikato Police officer when she saw the photo taken of a tourist driving with a kayak tied crossways across the roof of his car on a busy Coromandel highway?

District Road Policing Manager, Inspector Freda Grace, said the visitor from Ireland was stopped on SH25A between Kopu and Hikuai on Sunday afternoon.

"Regardless that this is a busy, winding rural road already subject to busier than usual traffic flows over the summer, the driver was unrepentant telling the officer that stopped him that if he secured the kayak long-ways as he is supposed to it would cause damage to the roof of his car.

"To make matters worse the Tairua officer was already on her way to a vehicle crash and this driver's behaviour could very easily have caused another, imagine if he's encountered a cyclist driving like this?"

Mrs Grace said at this time of year eight out of ten motorists travelling on Coromandel roads were likely to be visitors from out of the region but over the weekend overseas tourists had presented even more concerns.

"Currently a Canadian man and his wife are in Waikato Hospital following a two car collision in the Athenree Gorge on Saturdayafternoon in which six people were injured in which the visiting driver is believed to have been at fault.

A 16-year-old local girl is currently in Auckland's Starship Hospital with serious injuries.

"The following day emergency services were called to the scene of a two-car collision on Hikuai Rd at Duck Creek where four people were injured including one critically where it appears a Swiss driver crossed the centreline and collided with an oncoming car."

Mrs Grace said the weekend's crashes serve as a timely reminder of the importance of all drivers adhering to the road rules regardless of their nationality and a reminder to drive to the conditions.

"Driving conditions varied over the weekend from periods of heavy rain to fine weather.

What didn't change were the actual roads.

The various routes remained winding and offer quite a challenge to drivers irrespective of if they are used to European or North American highways or Auckland's Southern Motorway and all motorists need to be at their peak if we are to reach the beach this summer."

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