Boulder blocks road

A crash near Okaihau left a boulder the size of a dinner table blocking State Highway 1. Kaikohe fire chief Bill Hutchinson said the driver of a Toyota hatchback lost control at a bend about 5km north of Okaihau, hit a large boulder in a roadside bank, then spun off the wrong side of the road about 2.20am on Saturday. The dislodged boulder ended up in the middle of the highway so firefighters chained it to a truck which dragged it clear. The driver’s injuries were not believed to be serious. Firefighters were called back to the scene at 4.30am after someone set fire to the wreck, which ignited nearby pine trees.