A string of Aucklanders have been charged for breaching lockdown rules by travelling to the Southern Lakes. Photo / Supplied
An Auckland man will appear in the Queenstown District Court on Tuesday on a charge of breaching Covid-19 travel restrictions by travelling to Wānaka.
The 41-year-old, who was arrested in Wānaka yesterday, was remanded in custody this morning without appearing in court.
Queenstown police area response manager Senior Sergeant Glenn Wilkinson said the arrest followed a tip-off.
The man departed Auckland some time earlier this month, Wilkinson said.
The charge follows a string of alleged breachers keen to swap lockdown life in Auckland for the vistas of Queenstown and Wānaka.
Among the breachers are a man travelled from Whangarei to Queenstown via Wellington earlier this month without the correct documentation to travel under Alert Level 3 restrictions.
Auckland couple William Willis and Hannah Rawnsley admitted using essential worker exemptions to travel to a holiday home in Wānaka last month and police are investigating whether an Auckland woman illegally travelled to Queenstown in September.
Last week Queenstown property developer Min Yang (41), who travelled from Auckland to Christchurch in September and subsequently to Queenstown, pleaded not guilty to a charge of intentionally failing to comply with an order made under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act by leaving an Alert Level 4 area and travelling to an Alert Level 2 area without just cause or authority.
Mexican snapshots: Sarah Gordon's vibrant journey on display in Gisborne