The police officer managed to get ahead of his quarry a few hundred metres around the rocks, the fleeing driver performing a U-turn and heading back to Te Kohanga, at about which time the police vehicle blew a tyre, and the pursuit was over.
The Mitsubishi was later found abandoned at the Gumfields lookout.
A constable had recognised two people in the vehicle earlier in the day, the officer added, but that would not substantiate the laying of charges from the pursuit.
In any event the only offence committed had been failing to stop, which was not serious enough to warrant any more expenditure of police time.
"None of this would have happened if the driver had stopped when he was asked to," he added.
"All I wanted was a quiet chat."