'Blanked out' P-user drove car

A Waihi man faces driving and drugs charges after a blanked-out, methamphetamine-fuelled trip from Auckland to Tauranga.

The 21-year-old was found outside a Tauranga house about 6am yesterday and, because of his "degree of insensibility", police were called, said Senior Sergeant Ross Bielby.

When spoken to, the young man could not remember how he arrived in the city. In fact, he was surprised to hear he was in Tauranga, Mr Bielby said.

He could recall almost nothing of the trip, including that he had an accident near Maungatawhiri and had dropped a passenger off at Ngatea.

Mr Bielby said a doctor assessed the man as having been incapable of proper control of a motor vehicle due to the influence of drugs.

He told police he had smoked "P" to stay awake while driving to Tauranga to visit his girlfriend and baby.

Mr Bielby said police believed the man had driven on "auto-pilot" most of the way.

"It is a near-miracle that someone was not seriously injured or killed."