WHEN news came through of 10 motorists trapped in a hailstorm on Rimutaka Hill Rd on Thursday evening, it is naturally every editor's dream of a happy ending story, of a distressed elderly driver caught unawares by the rising ice under her wheels, until she can go no further. Then along comes the large shoulders of a confident Fulton Hogan contractor, backed up with an even larger piece of serious machinery.
My daydream, apart from being somewhat ageist, is the sort of thing that does happen from time to time. Every reporter likes to write about extremes, and one of those is the happy endings.
But when it comes to the Rimutaka Hill Rd, a curvy saga of extremes if ever there was one, there aren't too many extreme weather sagas. And that's because if there is a catastrophe involving cars versus weather, it means that someone responsible for that wretched road has got it wrong.
The New Zealand Transport Agency, and their roading contractors, keep such a powerful watch on that road that editors like myself are unlikely to get our exclusive interviews with tearful, grateful old ladies. That's a good thing. I wouldn't want anyone to be placed in that position.
When I drove up on Friday morning to get some snow photos, a Fulton Hogan driver popped out of his cab of his sweeper truck, in the mood for a chat. It was snowing lightly, and he was ready to deal to the road if things started getting tricky for drivers.
