Broken boat trailer hazard averted

EMERGENCY ACTION: A farmer's tractor was borrowed by Central Hawke's Bay emergency services on New Year's Day.

A boat parked dangerously on a Hawke's Bay road kept emergency services busy for more than two hours on New Year's Day.

Fire and police were returning from a motor vehicle accident on Mangakuri Rd in Elsthorpe, to which the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter also responded.

A car went off the road about 6pm, rolling down a small bank and resting on its roof, with three occupants lucky to escape with minor injuries.

Otane chief fire officer John Oliver said that on their return they came across a broken-down vehicle with a boat on a trailer with a broken axle.

"It was in a very dangerous spot," he said.

"This guy was trying to put it on a tandem trailer by himself and he was having a hard time because he was on the bank in the corner.

Traffic control was put in place for motorists approaching the steep corner, while extra strops were placed on the 18ft boat with an outboard motor.

Despite the extra equipment, manpower and expertise, the fibreglass boat "wouldn't budge" when winch pressure was applied.

Police located a farmer's tractor with a front-end loader and the boat was hoisted and driven about 500 metres down the road to a flat area, where it was loaded on to the tandem trailer as daylight ended.

"He wouldn't have done it by himself," Mr Oliver said.