Restricted trading hours for bars and a well-behaved crowd for Warbirds Over Wānaka helped reduce police work over Easter weekend, Wānaka Police reported this week.

Warbirds was the main event for the weekend, generating large crowds around Wānaka. 

“On the whole a very well behaved crowd with no offences reported over the three days,” Sergeant Kim Chirnside said.

“Most complaints were in relation to traffic and parking and the likes, which are part and parcel of an event that size.”

He said police were very pleased with the behaviour of the crowd, and alcohol was consumed responsibly.

Rabbit Pass 1, Trampers 0

A group of four trampers on the Rabbit Pass circuit activated their personal location beacon “after reassessing the difficulty of a descent,” Kim said.

They were retrieved by rescue helicopter on Friday.

While not commenting on the specific situation, Kim said a lack of research and resilience to find an alternative solution demonstrated by some trampers was “a broad theme”.

“It continues to frustrate police and rescue staff the lack of awareness people have over their abilities… Sometimes it’s a lack of research, some of it’s a lack of resilience to be able to say ‘well, I’ll go back’,” he said.

Burnout car impounded 

A vehicle was impounded after doing burnouts in the Dungarvon carpark (near the skate park) on Sunday evening at 7.30pm.

“It was a very busy time, a packed carpark, and the skidmarks are visible,” Kim said.

“It was an out-of-town driver and he will have to return back here to go to court and his car has been taken.”

Other incidents

There were reports of damage to property at the Lake Hāwea Tennis Club over the weekend.

“Some seats have been vandalised,” Kim said.

While a member of the Hāwea Community Association said on social media that at least one of three young people caught on security cameras had been identified by a parent, Kim said at this stage the police hadn’t been provided with names. 

“We will follow up that information if they have it. We will be looking into it.”

A raft of about five drivers had their licences suspended in the last seven days due to excess demerit points.

“It’s a good reminder from police that demerit points do catch up with drivers who continue to offend… and they lose their licence for three months.”

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PHOTO: Wānaka App