Toddler hitches a 20km ride in grandfather's trailer

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A toddler who stowed away in a trailer went on an unexpected 20km ride down the winding Takaka Hill - to the shock of his oblivious grandfather.

The two-year-old boy climbed into the trailer at the family home at the top of the hill, which separates Tasman Bay from Golden Bay, at about 11am today.

Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews said the trailer had a cage all the way around it, with mesh at the front that obscured the trailer's contents.

"The front of the trailer is enclosed, so sitting in the car, you can't look and see inside the trailer behind you.''

Mr Andrews said he was glad the boy was unharmed, but the fact that the boy climbed into the trailer meant he could have climbed out while the vehicle was moving.

Several people called police after seeing the toddler in the trailer during its long and winding trip down the hill.

The grandson was discovered by his grandfather when he stopped at Motueka, a 20-minutes drive away.

"I don't think it really affected him [the toddler] that much, but his granddad was pretty upset about it,'' Mr Andrews said.

"The parents started searching for him, they'd realised he'd gone. They were quite relieved when the granddad phoned them and said, `Hey, he's in the trailer'.''