However, with his son not expected to put in an appearance for another fortnight, Mr Stillwell hadn't filled up the car.
After quickly tanking up at Kaikohe's Z service station he only managed to drive as far as the forecourt air pump before the baby announced his imminent arrival.
When the service station attendant dialled 111 the contractions were just a minute apart. A St John Ambulance crew arrived minutes later and whipped out a stretcher.
"I stood up and said, 'I think it's coming out'. I gave birth halfway between the car and the stretcher."
Ms Thomson said the St John volunteer driver who caught the baby was thrilled because it was the first birth she had attended.
"They were all neat. She was neat, the medic was neat, even the gas attendant was choice," she said.
Mum, dad and baby were in Bay of Islands Hospital by 7am. All were thankful the floods had receded enough that the road to Kawakawa were open.
The as yet unnamed boy weighed in at 2950g.
On-call midwife Sue Knightley praised the work of the St John crew who ensured the baby arrived in excellent condition, and without any of the panic that sometimes accompanied sudden births.
She had attended several births at Kawakawa's Three Bridges and one in the hospital car park, but it was the first one she had heard of on a petrol station forecourt.
Mr Stillwell said he was grateful to the St John medic and driver, the staff at Z Service Station and Bay of Islands Hospital, and their midwife.
