Speeding mourner nabbed drink driving

Candles are lit at Shaun Hogarth's funeral. Photo / George Novak

A man travelling back from a funeral for Shaun Hogarth was nabbed for drink driving and travelling in a car that had been unwarranted since 2008.

Sergeant Wayne Hunter said he clocked a car travelling at 136km/h at the highway near The Lakes at Tauriko.

The car was stopped and the 24-year-old driver processed for drink driving, blowing 533mcg. The legal limit is 400mcg.

Mr Hunter said the car was also pink stickered, and had been pink stickered three days prior because it was deemed too unsafe to be on the road.

"The driver's seatbelt was not attached, the car's warrant [of fitness] had been missing since 2008, it had a missing wheel nut. It was a little Mazda and it had five people in it. It was well overloaded," Mr Hunter said.

A sober driver took over and the car was ordered home and not to be driven again until it had a current warrant of fitness.

Police dealt with a second car involved with Mr Hogarth's funeral, Mr Hunter said.

"A member of the public was concerned about a car doing doughnuts and we located it and impounded it.

"They were travelling to the funeral."

The drink driver was expected to appear at Tauranga District Court next week but was planning to return to Australia on Saturday.

Mr Hogarth's funeral was held at Pyes Pa yesterday after he drowned from a boating incident at Omokoroa earlier this month.