It took "Kiwi ingenuity" and the Outram Volunteer Fire Brigade to free a BMW which was stuck in a ditch after an early morning crash on Saturday.
Firefighters and police were called to the crash scene in Allanton Rd, near the intersection of Granton Rd, about 3am.
The driver of the BMW lost control in surface flooding and crashed into a ditch, Outram Chief Fire Officer Stu Casey said.
The road was a "notorious spot" for surface flooding and last week’s rain had again caused issues.
"He hit it at a reasonable speed, hydroplaned a bit in his BMW and effectively parked it in a place he couldn’t get it out — a ditch," Mr Casey said.
"It’s a low-profile, BMW with lowered tyres. They tend to hydroplane pretty well."
The car’s occupants walked away unharmed and the vehicle was not seriously damaged. However, retrieving it presented a problem for firefighters.
"Unfortunately, the BMWs don’t have a tow-bar, so it took some Kiwi ingenuity to get him out," Mr Casey said.
He went the 200m back down the road to his home, retrieved his four-wheel-drive and after "throwing a strop around the front wheel and dragging it sideways for a bit", the firefighters were able to take over and push the vehicle out of the ditch.
The car’s occupants could count themselves lucky, he said.
"It had potential," Mr Casey said.
"If he hit it with a bit more speed, it could have thrown them off [the road] big time."
Apart from being "a bit shaken up", the group sustained no injuries, he said.
A police spokeswoman said police attended but no charges were laid.
