How not to drive with a kayak

Photo / NZ Police

A senior police officer is astounded that a tourist drove along a busy Coromandel highway with a kayak tied to his roof crossways, endangering other traffic.

The visitor from Ireland was stopped by a police patrol on State Highway 25A between Kopu and Hikuai on Sunday afternoon.

Rather than tying the kayak to the roof of his car lengthways, the tourist had attached the kayak crossways, so its ends were protruding over either side of the car.

District road policing manager Inspector Freda Grace said the man told police he had secured the kayak that way so it would not damage 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 had encountered a cyclist driving like this."

Ms Grace said tourist driving had been a concern over the weekend.

A Canadian man and his wife were in Waikato Hospital following a two-car collision which injured six people in the Athenree Gorge on Saturday afternoon.

The visiting driver was believed to have been at fault, Ms Grace said.

The next day, four people were injured, including one critically, when two cars collided on Hikuai Rd at Duck Creek.

Ms Grace said it appeared a Swiss driver crossed the centre line and collided with an oncoming car.

Eight out out of 10 motorists travelling on Coromandel roads were likely to be visitors from out of the region at this time of year, she said.

The weekend's crashes served as a reminder of the importance of all drivers adhering to the road rules, regardless of their nationality, she said.