A fallen tree blocked a major Whangarei road and struck three parked cars, smashing the windscreen of one and crushing the bonnet of another.
The large tree fell across Hatea Drive, opposite the Pentland Way walkway entrance, about 3.30pm and fortunately missed any motorists travelling on the road or pedestrians on the footpath at the time.
Police and firefighters were quickly on the scene and started diverting traffic that began to back up as it approached rush hour.
A team of firefighters used a chainsaw to cut the tree into chunks. A passing ITM truck with a Hiab was used to remove the branches and trunk to the side of the road.
While the clearance operation was in full swing a police detective was directing traffic around the scene at the intersection of Riverside and Hatea Drives. The road was opened again just after 4.30pm.
Car owners who had their vehicles parked nearby were relieved to see it was not their cars that had been hit. The owners of the damaged cars — a grey Suzuki and a red Honda Civic — were to get a nasty surprise after work.