Cliff crash tourist rescued

A Chinese couple had a ‘‘very lucky’’ escape after their car plunged 50m down a bank and came to rest just before the edge of a waterfall.

The tourists were driving on the remote Tapu-Coroglen road in the Coromandel when their rental car missed a corner and and went over a steep cliff face.

The car hurtled through thick bush and came to rest upright in a creek, just one metre from a sheer waterfall drop of more than 60m, chief fire officer Warwick Reed said.

The husband managed to scramble back up the bank and flag down a passing car, while his wife remained in the car, suffering from moderate injuries.

Around 30 firefighters from Tapu, Whitianga, and two crews of specialist climbers worked for hours through driving rain and thick fog, to bring the woman to safety.

‘‘They are very lucky to be alive,’’ said Reed. ‘‘If the car had landed upside down, it wouldn’t have been found for days.’’

The couple in their 30s had been due to fly back to China last night, but were treated for their injuries at Thames Hospital.

A spokeswoman said they were discharged from hospital late last night.