Waikato’s worst boy racer hotspot leaves residents sleepless and afraid

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

Residents in the north Waikato town of Waiterimu fear someone will be seriously hurt as ongoing boy racer activity plagues the area with sleepless nights, dangerous driving and property damage.

The rural settlement, northeast of Huntly, was Waikato’s top boy racer hotspot in both 2024 and 2025, according to police figures obtained by the Waikato Times under the Official Information Act.

The intersection of Rutherfurd and Tahuna roads recorded the highest number of complaints in the region, with 34 in 2024 and 29 in 2025 and the Waikato District Council has now started road works to improve safety and deter boy racers.

Locals say the activity has become relentless.

Maree, who declined to give her surname, lives near the intersection and said the gatherings regularly disrupted her sleep.

“You go to sleep before you get woken again.”

She said burnout marks were a common sight, while dumped tyres and alcohol bottles were often left behind.

Her husband regularly picked up empty bottles from the intersection.

“So for them to actually do all that action, they obviously need a lot of alcohol in them, and they do big spins.”

Maree recalled seeing people hanging out of a black car while doing burnouts as spectators stood on the road taking photos.

“It’s so dangerous that somebody hasn’t been hurt.”

She said many locals were too intimidated to confront the groups.

“They’re scared in case, you know, all these boy racers actually do something to them.”

On one occasion, she said, boy racers sped down Rutherfurd Rd while trying to evade police.

“They must have sort of been informed that they were locally in the area. It went on for quite a long time.”

Maree believed police were reluctant to directly confront the groups because of the potential danger.

“You know, like, have they got a gun in their car? You just never know.”

In response, Waikato District Council has begun night works aimed at improving safety and deterring boy racers.

The works will take place on Wednesday and Thursday.

A high-friction surface will be installed on parts of the road, along with strips leading up to the intersection and flexible “safe hit” posts.

Council road safety and traffic engineer Janette Underwood said the changes were designed to discourage burnouts.

“We chose to use the flexible posts because they will not obscure the driver’s vision.”

Underwood said the solid bases were intended to stop boy racers from trying to remove the posts, “which they have done in other areas”.

She said council had spent time looking for effective solutions to address community concerns.

“It’s taken us a while because there isn’t a ‘pick off the shelf’ solution that we could use.”

Council previously fenced off the roadside area where boy racers gathered, but Underwood said the fencing was later removed.

“It’s a common place for boy racers to come together, but we are hopeful that the road changes will prevent them from gathering here.”

Once the works are complete, council will review whether the measures have made a difference.

The works are estimated to cost between $40,000 and $50,000.

Underwood described it as a “relatively inexpensive solution”.

“We hope that it can be repeated in other locations where there are similar issues.”

Across the wider Waikato police district, there have been at least 11,900 street racing complaints since 2021.

Police said the complaints often related to burnouts, excessive noise, vehicles blocking roads, street racing and dangerous motorcycle riding on public roads. The figures do not include traffic crashes or incidents.

Other Waikato hotspots for street racing complaints included the Harris and Parry streets intersection in Huntly, Horotiu Bridge and Great South Rd in Horotiu, State Highway 23 and Cornwall Rd in Raglan and Mill St in Waharoa.

Police noted the figures were based on calls for service and could include cancelled or duplicated events. Not all reports included precise location data, meaning the figures may not capture every incident.

Acting Waikato district prevention manager Inspector Scott Miller said police took the behaviour “incredibly seriously”.

“We know how frustrating and concerning this activity is to many in our community. There’s a risk of injury to people, damage to our roads, damage to property and not to mention the noise can be hugely disturbing.”

Miller said police had carried out sustained operations and issued infringement notices to offenders.

His warning to boy racers was to “think before you partake”.

“Damage to roads and property, excessive and illegal noise, and endangering the public will not be tolerated.

“Your behaviour can, and has in the past, had dangerous consequences.”