A Christchurch couple were lucky to avoid a serious crash yesterday morning after rocks started falling on State Highway 83 southeast of Otematata, shredding a tyre of their boat trailer and dislodging the boat from it as they drove through the rockslide.
Rock started falling from a roadside cliff, near Rugged Ridges, about 11.30am, Constable Craig Bennett, of Kurow, said.
He believed the rocks may have come loose after heavy rain this week.
The Christchurch couple were heading to the Waitaki Lakes to set up camp for the Christmas holiday break.
A falling rock ‘‘immediately'' shredded the left boat-trailer tyre, the impact pulling the vehicle towards the left-hand side of the road where a large amount of rock and rubble had fallen.
‘‘If it wasn't for his [the driver's] exceptional driving ability to maintain control of that vehicle, we could've been looking at something a lot more serious,'' Const Bennett said.
‘‘He managed to maintain control of the vehicle and keep it on his side of the road.''
The 51-year-old male driver, and a female passenger, both of Christchurch, were not hurt.
‘‘They were both in good spirits, apart from a little ding to their boat.''
The boat had moderate damage, but the trailer sustained extensive damage.
‘‘We're talking about the axle basically being folded at 90 degrees.''
SH83 was reduced to one lane while police were at the scene and a towing company winched the boat off the road.
Downer staff were at the scene yesterday afternoon clearing the rubble from the road and trying to ensure no more rock would fall this weekend.
