A woman barely had space to breathe as floodwaters rushed through her upturned car when rescuers arrived, one of the first neighbours on the scene says.
Local farmers rushed to the driver’s aid last night after the vehicle plunged about 20m into a chasm in the washed-out road, and was swept downstream.
The driver is in hospital after her dive off Ngapouri Rd in Waiotapu.
Emergency services were called to the scene just after 10pm, following a day of downpours that triggered an orange rain warning.
Fire and Emergency NZ reported the driver had managed to get out of her vehicle with the help of nearby residents but needed help to get across the washout to an ambulance.
The upturned car was found about 80m downstream from the washout.
The chasm in the road has blocked access to four farming properties.
Locals gathered at the site this morning, stunned by the extent of the damage.
Lynda Sutton, who was one of the first neighbours on the scene, said the woman was travelling home last night, followed by her husband in another car.
Sutton said the woman would not have seen the road washed out as she drove across the culvert.
Her husband would have seen the car being swept away, Sutton said.
Sutton said she and her partner, Angus Ravenwood, heard shouting and went outside.
Once they realised what had happened, the couple got their side-by-side vehicle, some rope and a spotlight and drove down the stream to the upturned car.
Sutton said she held a spotlight as the woman’s son-in-law hooked his feet around the fencing to stabilise himself and leaned across to help her out of her car.
She said the woman was incredible to get herself out and not panic, because the floodwater was rushing through the vehicle.
She said the woman held her head up and had barely any space left in the car to breathe.
Sutton and Ravenwood helped the woman across the farmland, where another neighbour, whowanted to be known only as Nick, put her in a vehicle and drove her to the ambulance.
Nick said he was worried when he first arrived, describing the scene as “terrifying”.
“When I saw the two tyres sticking out of the water, I thought to myself, how does someone survive that?”
He said it was “miraculous” when he saw the woman getting out of the car.
“How is that even possible?”
Nick was using a chainsaw this morning to clear debris off farm tracks, which will be used in the immediate future to allow the four blocked-off families to drive around the washed-out road.
Meanwhile, Sutton admitted this morning she was “trembling” a little still, even though she and the neighbours acted calmly and swiftly last night.
“There is no point panicking. We are farmers, we just get to work to get the job done.”
Another woman at the scene, who didn’t want to be named, told the Rotorua Daily Post she couldn’t believe the woman inside the car survived.
Parts of the slip could be heard this morning, still breaking off and landing into the stream about 20m below.
Another road nearby, Te Kopia Rd, also had slips overnight.
Resident Ash Brown said a massive slip on a farm off Te Kopia Rd was a sight to see.
“I heard it last night. It sounded like continuous thunder.”
Brown said silt and mud in a low-lying area of Te Kopia Rd also caused another vehicle to get stuck.
Fire and Emergency northern shift manager Colin Underdown said the Rotorua fire brigade was called to the Ngapouri Rd incident about 10pm.
Firefighters helped the person get across the road to where they could be seen by ambulance staff.
A Hato Hone St John spokesman said one person was taken to Rotorua Hospital with moderate injuries.
NZME has requested further comment from police.
Rotorua was under an orange heavy rain warning yesterday, with MetService warning that streams and rivers could rise rapidly, increasing the risk of surface flooding.
Drivers were being warned of possible slips and hazardous conditions, especially in hill country and rural areas.
While the orange heavy rain warning has been lifted, the entire North Island is now under a severe weather watch as Cyclone Vaianu bears down from the tropics.
While the exact track of the category 2 storm isn’t yet clear, the worst weather is expected to hit on Sunday, with power outages, flooding and road closures possible.
There were slips and flooding across the district last night and Rotorua Lakes Council says several roads were still closed.
These would be reassessed today.
There was surface flooding in town, but an update on the council’s website said wastewater and stormwater infrastructure held up fine.
Residents were urged to avoid unnecessary travel, particularly on rural roads and state highways, where slips could still happen even after rainfall eased.
Anyone needing to travel is advised to remain alert and report road or infrastructure issues to the council on 07 348 4199.
Callouts being responded to today (as at 10.30am)
Callouts received yesterday and overnight
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