Wānaka Volunteer Fire Brigade and Wānaka Police are reminding drivers to make way for emergency vehicles following an incident yesterday morning (Wednesday August 14) on Cardrona Valley Road.

Wānaka Volunteer Fire Brigade volunteer Ralph Feagan and firefighter Amanda Waldo told the Wānaka App that a fire appliance and van were travelling south to a reported car accident around 8.30am, with lights flashing and sirens going.

The fire van travelled at least three or four kilometres before anyone pulled over.

“We were behind a whole string of cars and none of them felt they had to pull over,” Amanda said.

“It was absolutely terrible,” Ralph added.

Ralph Feaghan PHOTO: Wānaka App

Eventually “two or three pulled over and the rest carried on”, he said, but vehicles were even speeding up to pass the cars which had pulled over.

New Zealand’s road rules specify that drivers must pull over, and if necessary stop, when an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire engine or police car) is coming towards them or behind them with sirens flashing.

Ralph said “one or two” of the vehicles were rental cars but most weren’t. They all seemed to be travelling to the Cardrona ski field, he added, as none of them passed the fire fighters when they stopped further up the road.

“The ‘ski head’ goes on. That’s all they would have been thinking about,” he said.

Amanda asked drivers to be more mindful and “perhaps not have the radio so loud”. 

Wānaka Police Senior Sergeant Fiona Roberts reinforced Ralph and Amanda’s comments.

"These are emergency vehicles travelling to an emergency, it is incumbent on drivers to drive courteously.”