Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Dunedin woman calls police for ride into town after drinking

A woman who called police for a lift home after drinking and smoking weed was one of a raft of lockdown breachers caught by Dunedin police over the weekend. Photo / NZH

A woman who called police for a lift home after drinking and smoking weed was one of a raft of lockdown breachers caught by Dunedin police over the weekend.

Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said at 10pm on Sunday, a 48-year-old woman called police from Port Chalmers a number of times, not making much sense.

During a later called claimed she was she was a victim of an offence at the address.

"Police attended and female advised she needed a ride home to Dunedin and the offence she reported was historic and simply claimed this so she could get a lift from Port Chalmers in to town."

The woman admitted breaking lockdown rules to drink and smoke cannabis with her friend.

Police also caught several people driving long distances without acceptable reasons over the weekend.

At 1.30am on Sunday, a car driven by a 28-year-old Palmerston man was pulled over in Magnet St. Two people from Oamaru, a 26-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, were also in the car.

They told police they had driven from Oamaru to pick up the 34-year-old man after his vehicle broke down, and they ended up in Magnet St after taking a wrong turn.

All three were warned, and their car was followed by police until they got back onto the motorway.

Also on Sunday morning, a 53-year-old man driving a camper van was stopped in the Caversham bypass of the Southern Motorway.

It transpired he had driven from Christchurch and was heading to a camping ground in Invercargill.

He was instructed to remain in Dunedin until travel was allowed.

Police also caught people driving from Dunedin to Lawrence, Waihola, and Aramoana.

A series of checkpoints were conducted over the weekend.

At 4pm on Sunday police checked between 80 and 100 vehicles in Ravensbourne Rd.

There was about 80% compliance, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said. One man who had been renovating his rental property in the city before returning to Port Chalmers initially denied breaching the rules, but "the fresh paint gave away the ruse".

There was also a checkpoint in Mosgiel, where about 250 cars went through, and one at East Taieri, where about 60 cars were stopped in about 45 minutes.

About a quarter had dubious reasons for travelling, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.

That included someone driving across town to get board games from a friend, a woman who drove from Port Chalmers to South Dunedin to have tea with her mother, and people out for a drive.

And one man who had previously been issued with an infringement notice for breaching lockdown was caught again at another checkpoint.

He could not initially tell police where he was staying, before finally giving an East Taieri address.

He told police he had just come back into the country and had been in a managed isolation facility in Auckland.