Young golfing hopeful gutted after driver smashes into parked car on quiet Hastings street

ROUGH START: Mako Thompson's car was smashed into early on New Year's Day while parked outside his cousin Renee Smith's Hastings house. Photo Paul Taylor

An 18-year-old aspiring golfer was left without wheels after a driver careered into his parked car on the quiet streets of Hastings in the early hours of New Year's Day yesterday.

Mako Thompson's hopes that this year would be better than the last were abruptly dashed when he awoke to find an alleged drunk driver had totalled his parked car on Tamatea St. Mr Thompson's cousin Renee Smith, who had recently taken him in after his father diedlast July, was one of the first people on the scene.

"Just before 4am there were four neighbours out on the street and another neighbour was yelling out if anyone needed an ambulance," she said.

Ms Smith said the car was "buggered"; its radiator bursting and axle breaking upon the impact.

Aside from feeling "gutted" about his car Mr Thompson said what hurt the most was the fact that he was left without wheels to get to Taupo for his mother's 50th birthday yesterday."I said in the morning that I thought 2017 couldn't be worse than 2016 so it's not a great start," he said.

Ms Smith said the car appeared to have been "shunted" around 5pm and was pushed up the street's kerb.She said the person behind the wheel of the car was seen "limping" away from the wreck which was still at the scene until a towing company took it away at 7.30am.

Mr Thompson's car had previously belonged to his father and wasn't insured at the time of the crash because it was usually his father who dealt with those matters.

"He's gutted because it's his way of getting around to lots of golf tournaments. He's had a rough year and it's the last thing he needed," Ms Smith said.

Mr Thompson's father was his sole caregiver and passed away last July in Cranford Hospice after losing a battle with cancer.

The crash had come just as Mr Thompson was beginning to come to terms with his first Christmas without his father, Ms Smith said.

Mr Thompson said it was good that the driver crashed into a parked car as opposed to a moving one. The crash site is near the usually busy Pakowhai Rd.

The incident leaves Mr Thompson with a car wreck and no mode of transport to golf tournaments.

"It's always hard when you lose possessions in that way. He'll now have to rely on people to run him around," Ms Smith said.

Both Ms Smith and Mr Thompson spent yesterday at the New Year's Day Races, which he said was a "good distraction".

Mr Thompson said he'd be looking to buy a new car right away but seemed more concerned about not being with his mother on her birthday.

"It sucks I couldn't make it."