Don't worry, I'll take the stairs - driver misses carpark entrance

A driver was stuck waiting for a tow truck after taking a wrong turn in Albany yesterday. Photo / Supplied

An embarrassed motorist could do nothing but wait for a tow truck after attempting to drive her vehicle down a pedestrian stairway.

The incident happened around 10.30am yesterday outside the Tai Ping Supermarket in Rosedale Rd, Albany, Auckland.

Supermarket worker TK Ng said the woman was unhurt, and seemed more embarrassed than anything else, after missing the carpark entrance a few metres away.

"She's mistaken the stairs for the entrance. She was a bit shocked but then she just went shopping inside and then laughed about it later. She couldn't do anything but wait for the tow truck."

There was no significant damage to the vehicle, except the bumper.

Mr Ng, who spoke to the driver, said she told him she had spent the early morning at the pools and had dropped in to get some groceries.

"She said after swimming she was a bit tired and I guess she just missed the [entrance sign]. I think she must've been rushing in for the specials," he laughed. "But she was okay and that's the main thing."

The woman's husband arrived a short time later and he stayed behind to wait for a tow truck while his wife went home.

However, when the first tow truck arrived, it could not remove the vehicle as the back wheels were not on the ground.

A second tow truck arrived and also failed to help, before another truck arrived to finally remove the car around 4pm.

Mr Ng said the incident had attracted crowds of people throughout the day, who stopped to get a closer look and take photos.

Staci O'Brien was among those who stopped. "I saw it and just thought: 'What?' I thought it was hilarious."