Two people were rescued by police last night after they became stranded on the banks of the Ngaruroro River near Fernhill, when rising water levels trapped them in their parked car.
The couple, a 27-year-old male and a 23-year-old woman, were in their vehicle on the edge of the swollen river, before they were soon surrounded by rising water.
Acting Sergeant Marie Marshall said police responded to the distressed pair after the woman, who was 8-months pregnant, phoned in a "concerned" state about 7pm.
"We were called by the female because she was trapped and felt the water was coming up too fast."
She said the couple had been living down by the river.
