As New Zealand beachside populations swell during summer, so too has the number of calls to the AA from motorists stranded at the beach. In Raglan there were 34 callouts for AA roadside service. These were attended to by Raglan’s local AA contractor, Garrett Automotive (BP). Raglan was placed ‘9’ in the top 20 holiday spot callout list.
AA Roadservice’s national manager John Healy says callouts from popular coastal spots soar during the summer holiday period as people head to the beach for a holiday or take a day trip to cool off.
“Nearly 60 per cent of callouts to beach locations over the last two weeks have been for flat batteries, difficulties with starting, or keys locked in cars,” he says.
“Our service officers and contractors have accessed a number of locked vehicles to retrieve car keys that have inadvertently been left in the boot, after people have dropped the keys inside while they’re unloading bags, or getting beach gear and picnic baskets out. Because they’re relaxed and in holiday mode, people quite often make mistakes they wouldn’t normally make.”
AA Roadservice officer Larry Harbott says congestion heading north of Auckland City is the worst he’s seen in his 36 years as a service officer, which has made it more challenging to reach some beach locations.
“At times it’s been difficult to access Shakespear Regional Park and Wenderholm Regional Park because of the queues of cars lined up to get in. People are certainly making the most of this good summer weather by heading to the beach.”
Mr Healy reminds motorists that if there is an animal or child locked in a vehicle, they do not need to be an AA Member to phone for help.
Top 20 coastal locations for AA callouts (21 Dec 2013 – 6 Jan 2014)-
- Mission Bay (56)
- Paraparaumu Beach (43)
- Bucklands Beach (42)
- Whakatane (42)
- Thames (38)
- Red Beach (38)
- Whitianga (35)
- Tairua (34)
- Raglan (34)
- Papamoa Beach (30)
- Mangawhai Heads (24)
- Snells Beach (22)
- Pauanui (22)
- Hahei (21)
- Paihia (21)
- Piha (20)
- Waikanae Beach (20)
- Coromandel (19)
- Lake Tekapo (18)
- Russell (17)