Ōpōtiki-based tourist Natalie Podesvova died in crash on gravel road on way to Te Urewera hike, coroner rules

A Czech tourist on a working holiday in Ōpōtiki had planned a solo hike in Te Urewera ranges, but died after she lost control of her car on a gravel road on her way there and it plunged down a bank, a coroner has ruled.

Three other crashes involving overseas tourists have happened on the same stretch of State Highway 38, Te Whaiti Rd near Minginui, prompting NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to act on Coroner Ian Telford’s urgent early recommendations to review the road.

Natalie Podesvova, 32, died on August 27 last year. She had been employed as an orchard worker in Ōpōtiki and was living at Motu Trails Backpackers.

Coroner Telford’s finding, released publicly today, says Podesvova told friends on the day she died she was heading to Te Urewera for a camp and hike and was intending to return the following night.

The car Natalie Podesvova was driving when she died.

When she didn’t, her friend filed a missing person’s report with police, prompting a land and air search on August 29.

A resident driving in Te Whaiti Rd on August 28 noticed wheel tracks on the opposite side of the road but didn’t stop, thinking it was local drivers misbehaving.

But he was prompted to go back on August 31 after seeing a police helicopter flying in the area and reading Facebook posts about a missing person.

He looked down the bank and saw a dead person next to a badly damaged car. The person was later identified as Podesvova.

Coroner Telford said in his finding police found no evidence of suspicious circumstances or evidence of self-harm. Her car was in good condition.

The area where the crash happened. Photo / Google Maps

The crash happened about 800m into an unsealed section of road in a winding, undulating forest environment with a steep, near-vertical bank to the side of the eastbound lane.

There was no road signage, the marker posts were in a state of disrepair and no crash barriers were in place.

Evidence suggested Podesvova was not wearing her seatbelt and it was her first long drive in New Zealand undertaken at night. She had only recently obtained her licence and bought the car, so was an inexperienced driver, at least on New Zealand roads, Coroner Telford’s finding says.

He said although it didn’t appear Podesvova was speeding, she did not adjust her speed to the changing conditions. The scene evidence showed Podesvova had failed to steer around the corner and had gone wide, leaving the road in a straight line and crashing down the steep bank.

She suffered blunt-force injuries that led to her death. A toxicology examination found nothing in her blood causing her to lose control.

Previous crashes

Police told Coroner Telford there had been three other crashes on the same stretch of road in the past 10 years. One of them occurred on the corner where Podesvova crashed. All the drivers were overseas licence holders, in their early 30s, unfamiliar with the area and the unsealed road surface.

Senior Constable Gared McLaughlin’s analysis showed the pattern of crashes appeared to be linked to drivers heading east leaving the sealed section of the road and not adjusting to the gravel road surface.

Coroner Telford made urgent draft recommendations to NZTA to assess the road and install signage lowering the speed limit for a distance covering the transition from the sealed to gravel surface, then declaring the open road speed limit further east once motorists had adjusted to the changed conditions.

He recommended installing crash barriers and improving the camber of the road.

He also invited NZTA to consider its public messaging, particularly to overseas drivers who were less likely to be familiar with unsealed driving surfaces.

NZ Transport Agency responds

The NZTA responded saying it would conduct a speed limit and delineation review either side of the crash site.

The review would include an analysis of the shape of the road and any additional camber required appropriate for the speed. A barrier would be prioritised.

NZTA advised of the extensive work it was already doing to educate overseas drivers about driving conditions in New Zealand, and Coroner Telford accepted this.

“Nevertheless, this tragic accident acts as a reminder to us all, New Zealanders and visitors alike, of the importance of adjusting our driving to suit the particular surface we are driving on.”

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.