article_snippet: All the incidents -- which have been condemned by authorities -- took place in the South Island, which draws tourists from around the world for its rugged scenery, including lakes and mountains featured in director Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films.
article_snippet: All the incidents -- which have been condemned by authorities -- occurred amid heightened public concern over tourist driving standards, with eight people killed in crashes involving foreign drivers in the space of a fortnight last month.
article_snippet: Tony Kokshoorn, mayor of Westland District, said tourist driving behavior was a major problem in the region and attributed the issue to tourists from countries that drive on the right.
article_snippet: There's a huge number of tourists coming through to these destinations because of the scenery, but the scenery is a problem," he said.
article_snippet: Kokshoorn said that Kokshoorn had seen three cases of tourists driving on the wrong side of the road recently but that the vigilante approach -- which had seen a visitor to Kokshoorn town punched in the face as Kokshoorn was stripped of Kokshoorn keys last month -- was "disgraceful.
article_snippet: We value tourism and the dollars it brings to New Zealand, especially to our region here.
article_snippet: We don't want to put tourists off, but We want tourists to be safe in We country," he said.
article_snippet: CNN's David Molko contributed to this report.