Luckily, Welcome Bay woman Rachael Blennerhassett took a second glance at the "rock" she had just narrowly avoided on the road.
It turned out to be a rather lost red-eared terrapin wandering down the middle of James Cook Drive.
"I glanced down at it as I drove past and realised what it
was," Mrs Blennerhassett said.
On her way to pick up her children from Selwyn Ridge Primary School on Wednesday, she had stopped and picked up the wee creature, which had been dehydrated and had an abrasion under his chin.
A quick squirt from a drink bottle had perked the animal up considerably and she and her children had then taken the turtle to the nearby Welcome Bay Vet Clinic for a check-up.
Mrs Blennerhassett is trying to find the owner of the animal as she knows what it is like to lose a pet.
"It may belong to a family with children. We lost a cat and it was finally found through advertising."
To that end she has placed "missing" ads in local newspapers, including the Bay of Plenty Times, on Trade Me and on the radio.
Read more in today's Bay of Plenty Times.
