Car chaos cuts power to 900 homes

Christine Frost beside her neighbour's car, which was shunted down a bank before coming to rest in her driveway. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Christine Frost was confined to her home after four youths shunted a parked car down her driveway then crashed their vehicle at the other end of the exit out of her Whangarei property.

With both sides of the shared driveway blocked, she and husband Chris had to cancel a barbecue outing and resort to a candlelight dinner at their Morningside Rd home on Saturday evening.

The crash cut power to almost 900 homes.

The whole of Morningside and Otaika Rd was plunged into darkness from about 5.30pm when the crashed car snapped a power pole and knocked down two 11,000-volt lines.

Mrs Frost said a car travelling down the narrow Morningside Rd from Anzac Rd slammed into the back of her neighbour's Nissan Bluebird, which came to a halt down a bank on to her property.

The other car then spun into a power pole before crashing down the bank and into another neighbour's fence, she said.

Both cars blocked her driveway at either end. Mrs Frost said her daughter Hannah was lucky not to be in her car when the out-of- control vehicle began its trail of destruction.

"Hers was parked behind the neighbour's car and she was about to get into her car when she heard the car that crashed backfiring and then saw it coming from the wrong side of the road," she said.

"There were three big noises - first when both cars collided, then when it crashed into the power pole and then when the car came down and crashed into a wooden fence," said the dietician.

Mrs Frost said no one was injured but her first thought was for Hannah. She said had Hannah not jumped back from getting into her car she could have been injured.

She came out and saw the power pole "absolutely munted" and four youths - two males and two females - collecting their belongings from the crashed car and preparing to leave. Police arrived and spoke to them before the crashed car was towed away.

Northpower spokesman Steve MacMillan said 899 customers lost power, but 486 households had power restored by 5.47pm, and 373 homes got their electricity back on at 6.44pm.

Power was restored to the last 40 homes, including the Frosts', just after 11.30pm on Saturday.

- APN