KEY POINTS:
Thousands of holiday makers heading away for the long weekend were hit hard in the pocket at the fuel pumps yesterday, by which time all fuel retailers had bowed to pressure and hiked prices.
BP had led the way on Wednesday, upping prices for 91 octane by 3 cents a litre to 163.9c. Diesel rose to 116.9c.
By yesterday, as queues of cars waited for a turn at the pumps, the remainder of the big four had settled on the slightly more affordable, but still comparatively expensive rate of 160.9c per litre for 91 octane and 113.9c for diesel.
Caltex spokeswoman Sharon Buckland had earlier told the New Zealand Herald the company tried to avoid putting up prices to coincide with the long weekend.
The latest rises come on top of a 5c rise last Friday. Oil companies blame a drop in the New Zealand dollar, combined with price increases overseas.
International crude oil prices rose more than 10 per cent in the six days to Wednesday, due to fears supplies could be disrupted if Turkey goes ahead with plans to send troops into northern Iraq to fight Kurdish rebels.
Kiwi-owned minnow Gull Petroleum finally raised its prices early yesterday, after a week of holding out at 5c cheaper.
Dave Bodger, general manager of Gull New Zealand, said that 91 octane had gone up from 155.9c to 159.9c per litre, while diesel had moved from 110.9 to 113.9c. However, in Hamilton, petrol was 4 cents cheaper at the company's self-service site.
Bodger said yesterday afternoon the company was reviewing prices hourly. He could not rule out more rises before the long weekend was out and was expecting "more upward pressure" in the next few weeks. "Traditionally, there is not a lot of pricing activity on public holidays and Sundays, but that's not to rule it out." The reason Gull could afford to offer consistently cheaper fuel was because its overheads were kept to an absolute minimum. "We really focus on controlling our costs."
Meanwhile, filling up at BP's Service Centre on the Southern Motorway out of town was costing punters a cent more per litre than those filling up at the Northern Motorway's equivalent.
A BP spokeswoman was unavailable to comment yesterday on the discrepancy, but staff told the Herald on Sunday petrol at that particular site was always slightly dearer.
The price rises are seeing more Kiwis turning to hybrid cars.
Stephen Pollard of The Clean Green Car Company in Auckland, specialising in hybrid vehicles, said foot traffic and sales increased whenever petrol prices rose significantly.
"Often [the price hikes] will prick people who are already interested to take that next step."
Hybrid vehicles used "literally half" the amount of fuel of a normal car.
Pollard said the company had just about run out of stock.
