There is far too much crazy (mostly tourist) driving. Twice I have stopped drivers and reported two others on the phone to the police:
Wednesday: I was in a queue of cars heading home on the Crown Range. The little rental car at the head of the queue was being incredibly erratic with speed and not pulling over. There was also a bit of centre line crossing. None of the other clearly tourist cars in front of me would pass so just after Cardrona Village I passed the two cars in front of me pulled in behind the offending car and flashed my lights until they pulled into the Cardrona ski field car park. I got out, put my fluro security jacket on and spoke to the occupants - showing them my security ID. European girlfriend was driving - I suggested she return the rental car and take a bus. European boyfriend asked if it was ok for him to drive and I said yes - so long as it was better than what I had witnessed. My rationale is that hurt feelings heal faster than hurt bodies.
Thursday: Turned onto the start of the Crown Range road on the Queenstown side at the bottom of the zigzags right behind a big Toyota SUV. It went slowly, crossed the centre line with oncoming traffic, refused to find a place to pull over, would cross the centre line going around a left hand corner, speed up, brake when it didn't need to etc. I phoned the police traffic number and stayed behind it, reporting on what I was seeing. Just before the summit they finally pulled over so I pulled in behind them - still on the phone. Hazard lights and fluro on again I approached the car and the police asked me to ask the driver to wait for the police - which I did. I waited too. Took about 45 mins for a road patrol to travel from Tarras to Wanaka and then to the Crown Range. He spoke very sternly to the young Japanese woman driving. As I left her elderly father thanked me profusely for being there and then the daughter thanked me too. The cop was also very appreciative.
Friday: Crown Range going home. The car in front seemed to be driving ok but approaching cars would flash their lights. Then I worked out that the car in front was actually turning their lights off rather than dip them for oncoming traffic. When I could I passed the car, went way ahead, found a safe spot and stopped. Hazards and fluro on again and lightsaber torch out. I waved the car in beside me and spoke to the driver - a young NZ woman who said she had just brought the car and didn't know how to work the lights - it was apparently different to anything else she had driven. I showed her how the lights worked and explained that how the lights worked was the same as any other car these days - in fact the last time I had seen anything different was 40 years ago when some cars had a foot button to press! She and her friends were very appreciative too. I think they were even more appreciative when they reached the police booze checkpoint just up the road - it would have been embarrassing for them at the very least.
Saturday: Turning right in Wanaka and a vehicle approached from the left to turn right but actually passed us on the left side of our car on completely the wrong side of the road going in the opposite direction. Located them in the supermarket car park and gave a description of the car (a rental) and Asian female driver to the police. How they did not hit traffic behind us was a miracle.