A man who crashed his vehicle into Otago Harbour tried to paddle his floating four-wheel-drive to safety using a construction hard hat yesterday morning.
But as soon as emergency services arrived to assist the unwilling seaman as he sat atop his car near Aramoana Rd, a helpful local with his own four-wheel-drive and a long rope pulled him to safety.
A local man who called police after seeing the motorist sitting atop the Ford sports utility vehicle near a beach just past Tayler Point, near Aramoana, said he initially thought the man was a kayaker.
Looking through binoculars, he said he then realised the man was using his hard hat to try to manoeuvre the floating Ford to shore.
The man was uninjured and St John did not attend.
