The allure of two female German hitch-hikers was blamed by a Southland man convicted of drink-driving.

Christopher Ralston, 30, was driving through Motueka in November when he stopped and got talking to two female German hitch-hikers, the Invercargill District Court heard yesterday.

Defence lawyer David Slater said Ralston had not intended to imbibe in alcohol, but he drank two stubbies of beer while with the women.

"They were Germans and you know what they do when drinking is concerned," he said to Judge Kevin Phillips.

Ralston then drove on, drinking another two stubbies in his car, before being pulled over by police and being found to have a breath-alcohol level of 484mcg, the court heard.

Although it was his fifth drink-driving offence, each had been at the lower end of the scale and he was a hard-working man who had met all his financial requirements to society, Mr Slater said.