Around 16,000 litres of milk was spilt on State Highway 1 after a tanker driver was forced to take evasive action.
The crash happened on State Highway 1 just south of Umawera at around 11.30am on Sunday after a Mangonui Haulage milk tanker driver took evasive action to avoid an oncoming car.
The company was grateful the outcome wasn't a great deal worse.
Mangonui Haulage proprietor Sean Sparksman said the driver was heading south when he was confronted with a car straddling the white line as he negotiated a right-hand bend.
He swerved as far to the left as he could to avoid a collision, but lost control of the fully-laden truck and trailer.