Police chase driver for 100km

A suspected drink-driver led police on a 100km chase along highways north of Auckland - as he weaved through traffic at speeds up to 170km/h.

Police allege a 35-year-old man took a Ford Telstar station wagon belonging to a family member from a property in Ruakaka, Northland, about 3pm on Friday.

The vehicle was spotted soon after, heading south on State Highway 1. Erratic driving prompted 11 emergency calls to police.

Police tried to intercept the vehicle on Grand Drive in Orewa, north of Auckland, but the driver refused to stop.

The pursuit was abandoned after the driver reached speeds up to 110km/h hour in a 70km/h zone.

Police scrambled the Eagle helicopter and at least six cars followed at a safe distance.

They twice laid road spikes but the driver was able to avoid them by doing U-turns.

After turning north again he reached Hatfields Beach, just outside Orewa, where he was seen overtaking traffic on loose metal at the side of the road at about 150km/h.

A 63-year-old Silverdale woman on her way home from work, said: "Out of the blue this car overtook two cars on the inside. He came out of nowhere. He was going like a bat out of hell."

The woman added that it was extremely lucky that no one was killed. "I could have been an Easter holiday statistic. I can't believe how stupid he was."

Police said the vehicle turned off State Highway 17 north of Hatfields Beach on to private property, where the helicopter was able to direct a dog unit to block the driver's escape.

Resident Anne Pacey said police blocked the bridge at the southern end of the beach peninsula during the incident, which ended before 4pm.

"There was a helicopter circling, flashing lights," she said.

Inspector Lou Alofa, of the northern communication centre, said: "The shocking nature of the driving prompted numerous concerned motorists to contact police.

"Quite apart from the excessive speed and the reckless manner in which the vehicle was being driven, police were also particularly concerned about the volume of traffic on the road, with motorists travelling to and from their holiday destinations."

National Road Policing Inspector John McClelland said: "It's unfortunate that we have people like that still on our roads."

The driver will appear in court next week facing a variety of charges.

bevan.hurley@hos.co.nz