I am absolutely gobsmacked the man driving his car with a kayak lying sideways across the roof escaped a fine.

Waikato Police have since apologised for wrongly assuming the driver was tourist, hence letting him off scott free.

Well it shouldn't matter if he was tourist or not – he should have been pinged like the rest of us would have been.

It was a stupid act, and if as Kiwi committed the same misdemeanour on a highway overseas I'm sure they would be reprimanded.

In New Zealand recent crashes involving tourists have been highlighted – and with summer upon us there will be many tourists on the roads – I hope not acting the same way as this man. And why should these particular drivers escape punishment?
Does it teach them anything when they get let off a fine for bad driving? Talk about a racist rule.

K Morland, Katikati.