Two vehicles swept away in flooded ford
The owners of two vehicles swept away while crossing a ford in Marlborough on Christmas Day will have to pull the cars out themselves.
The vehicles were on Taylor Pass Rd, between Maxwell Pass Rd and Awatere Valley Rd, when the drivers tried to cross the ford about 7pm.
One vehicle was swept into some trees, and the other went downstream.
Fire engines from Blenheim and Nelson were called, along with an ambulance from St John and police.
Marlborough highway patrol team leader Sergeant Barrie Greenall said heavy rain had flooded the Taylor River and covered the rural road, and the drivers made a poor decision to cross.
The driver and sole occupant of one vehicle, a man in his 50s, was able to escape, but when emergency services arrived the two people in the other vehicle were missing.
The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter was called and did a cursory search of the area.
Police were later told the two people in the other car had escaped and walked home, and inquiries found they were safe and well, Greenall said.
Neighbour Rod Westenra, owner of High Country Horse Treks, said the road had flooded a lot this year.
He had recorded about 1120mm of rain so far, compared to the annual average of 560 to 610mm, he said.
Westenra was supposed to visit his cousin on the southern side of the ford for dinner on Christmas Day, but decided to go the long way through Blenheim and down State Highway 1 rather than risk crossing the ford.
‘‘I went to go have a look at the river and decided not to go through it. And that was about 2pm.
‘‘A little car would get swept away in that, no problem,’’ Westenra said.
Greenall said it would be up to the owners to retrieve the vehicles from the river.