QLDC’s Harbourmaster Marty Black is asking people to think twice before setting off distress flares in non-emergency situations, after a fruitless two-hour search on Lake Wakatipu overnight.

While he didn’t want to speculate on who might have been responsible for sparking the callout, he said people might not realise the knock-on effects of what might seem like “a bit of fun” letting off a flare.

“The coastguard and a helicopter pilot were out for almost two hours, searching for a boat in trouble on the lake in the middle of the night. That’s a big ask of volunteers who have already done a full day’s work and have to be up again in the morning.”

On top of their efforts, the cost of the helicopter search would have been over $4000, Mr Black said.