Two drunk adults fastened their seatbelts but left two children unrestrained in the back seat of a car as they drove home swerving across the highway, police say.
Worried motorists phoned police about the car when it was spotted swerving in its lane heading north on State Highway 1 at Horotiu on Friday.
The 29-year-old female driver was already wanted by police because her learner licence was suspended for a lack of demerit points.
She recorded a breath alcohol reading of 1007 milligrams but officers were more appalled to find two children, aged 3 and 5, sitting unrestrained on the back seat.
"A man sitting in the front passenger seat had also been drinking but he also had the presence of mind to have a seatbelt on," Sergeant Juliet Burgess said.