While stranded motorists pondered their escape from floods, one towie was making the most of it by ferrying motorists and their vehicles across a flooded bridge.
Tiny Dawson of Northland Towing and Salvage Ltd in Paihia made about $800 on Wednesday after a flooded bridge at the bottom of Turntable Hill, Moerewa, stranded motorists on both sides of the torrent.
Mr Dawson was charging $20 a vehicle and ferrying them from the Moerewa end to the other side. By 11.30am, he had ferried across about 20 cars and a further 20 cars by about 3pm when he left.
"First time I've done this here. $20 is a reasonable amount," he said.
He heard about the flooded bridge on radio and decided to head there.
Two Icelandic tourists waiting in the queue who had to drop off a rental car in Kerikeri said they'd use the towie.
"We knew there's going to be rain but we didn't expect to be stranded like this. Looks like he's [Mr Dawson] the man to go to," Siggi Olafsson said.
Bidvest accounts' manager Cole Garden had been stranded and was keen to utilise the towie. Only trucks and four-wheel drives could cross the flooded bridge. Imran Ali