A woman was lucky to get cellphone reception and call for help after her car became trapped in a Hawkes Bay river yesterday morning.
The Napier driver's stationwagon came to a halt on a ford in the middle of the Makahu River, near Puketitiri, about 70km northwest of Napier, after heavy rain overnight.
The driver, aged 45, was able to stand outside the car but the current was too strong for her to reach the bank.
At 9am, with the water up to her waist, she was rescued by Puketitiri farmers Oliver and Angelina Nicholas.
The farmers drove a tractor part-way into the river and lowered its bucket for the "very cold and frightened" woman to escape.
