Emergency services at the scene of the single-car crash, in which a woman was critically injured.
Steven and Jenni Macdonald were travelling to Rotorua when they came across parked cars and a group of people on the road.
On closer inspection, they were confronted with a serious crash and helped perform first aid on one of the victims, who was now in a critical condition.
The couple were among the first at the scene of a dramatic crash south of Tauranga on Thursday.
A 31-year-old was one of seven people in a car that lost control on a bend on Te Matai Rd, hitting a power pole and rolling, the police said.
She was a passenger in the five-seater vehicle and was thrown from the car during the crash.
The woman was still in the intensive care unit at Waikato Hospital yesterday afternoon in a critical condition. No one else was seriously injured.
Mr and Mrs Macdonald from Brisbane had been at a friend's house for lunch on Te Matai Rd, about 15km from Te Puke, and were heading back to Rotorua when they came across the crash scene on Thursday.
"It was confronting seeing the state of the vehicle and I was surprised only one occupant was seriously injured," Mr Macdonald, 31, told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend yesterday.
Mrs Macdonald, 29, an endorsed enrolled nurse in Brisbane, and another man already at the scene, kept the injured woman in the recovery position, cleared her airways and kept her breathing.
Mr Macdonald said the woman's breathing was stopping intermittently but her pulse was steady.
He said they checked for lacerations and broken bones while supporting her spine and neck.
"There was nothing we could do besides make sure she kept on breathing. She had no external, visible lacerations or anything, it was all internal and head trauma. So it was just blood from her ears and her mouth and thankfully she didn't stop breathing."
The woman was not blinking or responding, Mr Macdonald said.
"I went and got a blanket to shield them from the sun until emergency services could arrive."
He said they tried to keep the other occupants of the car calm.
The police were first to arrive and then St John Ambulance, the Fire Service and finally the rescue helicopter.
Steven and Jenni Macdonald from Brisbane were among the first people at the scene of the crash and helped perform first aid on the injured woman. Photo/Supplied
Mr Macdonald said they stayed and kept the woman comfortable until paramedics hooked up the machines, intubated her, and rolled her over on to a stretcher.
The Macdonalds gave their statements to the police and "then cleaned off the blood and went home".
The pair is holidaying in New Zealand for three weeks and staying with Mrs Macdonald's father in Rotorua so he can meet his grandkids.
Mrs Macdonald is a New Zealander and has been in Australia for 15 years.
The couple has three children under 3.
Mr Macdonald said his wife, being a nurse, remained calm throughout and with him being a hunter, he was not too disturbed either.
"We just switched on using our first aid training and went to work checking on the lady's wellbeing and then followed emergency services' instructions."
When they got home they debriefed with each other while their adrenaline levels went down, he said.
"The other gentleman that was helping us – he was there before us – was calm and was well versed in first aid so we just did our best."
Emergency services at the scene of the Te Matai Rd crash on Thursday afternoon. Photo/Andrew Warner
The acting head of Western Bay road policing, Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter, said police had spoken to the car's driver and the investigation was ongoing.
The critically injured woman was airlifted to Waikato Hospital by the Rotorua-based BayTrust rescue helicopter about 4.30pm on Thursday.
