Wintry woes for Wairarapa drivers

CRUNCH: Carterton fire crew check over a car which veered off SH2 south of Masterton at around 8am yesterday. The driver, alone in the car, had minor chest injuries from the seat belt.

It's winter driving conditions, folks.

Two crashes in two days shows drivers have yet to get used to the idea of wet roads after a long dry spell.

Around 5pm on Sunday two cars collided by the notorious No1 bridge over Abbots Creek, at the start of the Rimutaka Hill Rd.

One of the drivers, Napier man Brian Lindsay, said he was heading towards Upper Hutt and "put my foot down" as he cleared the bridge and turned up the hill.

His car lost traction and veered into a car coming in the opposite direction.

Both cars were badly damaged, with Featherston volunteer fire crew using chains and their truck to haul the cars off the road.

Mr Lindsay, who was on his way to Waikanae to visit family, said he was "a bit shaken up".

The other driver, a woman, had minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Wairarapa Hospital.

On Monday morning around 8am a north-bound driver apparently opted to veer off SH2 into a shelter belt south of Masterton to avoid a potential nose-to-tail.

Carterton fire chief Wayne Robinson said it appeared a vehicle in front of the driver had suddenly slowed down.

Instead of hitting the vehicle, he swerved left, embedding the car in a shelter belt and fence just south of the Ravensdown entranceway.

"He probably did the right thing by veering off."

He said the man had some minor chest injuries from the seatbelt. He was seen by Wellington Free Ambulance staff. "It's that time of year - we had all that fine weather, and now the roads are really greasy."

The MetService forecast is for rainy weather into Good Friday.