A man who slept in his car to avoid driving home drunk is outraged after he was fined for freedom camping.
Glen Wallace, from Arrowtown, realised he was in no state to drive after a night out in Queenstown with friends on March 21, so he slept it off in his car.
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When he woke up he saw a ticket on his windscreen that said he had been fined $200 for freedom camping, The Otago Daily Times reported.
Wallace said when he told Queenstown Lakes District Council why he had slept in the car, and if it could be waived, they said it was a "blanket rule" and he would have to pay it.
"I'm trying to be responsible here, but I'm being punished for it."
"I don't mind that I got the ticket - that's fair enough - but I thought some common sense would prevail.
"I'm a ratepayer, I'm obviously not a freedom camper," Wallace told the ODT.
Council regulatory manager Anthony Hall told the ODT anyone found sleeping in a vehicle overnight in a freedom camping zone could be fined.
"We encourage people who want to drink, to do so responsibly and always make plans to get home safely."
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