Body lay undiscovered in car for 10 hours

A woman's body remained in a car for 10 hours before being discovered down a bank near Whangarei yesterday.

The 38-year-old woman had been driving north when her Mitsubishi Galant left the road on a bend at the bottom of Lookout Hill in Oakleigh. Her car crashed into a tree and came to rest down a bank.

The accident happened about midnight, but her body was not discovered until a passing motorist reported seeing the car to police at 10.15am.

Whangarei senior fire station officer Wipari Henwood said the woman had possibly fallen asleep at the wheel. Drugs and alcohol were not thought to be factors in the crash.

"The speedo was locked on 100km/h and there were no skidmarks. Maybe the woman had fallen asleep."