Three elderly women visiting Taupo were lucky to escape serious injury this morning after their car mounted the kerb and hit a shop.
The crash, at 9.30am on Heuheu St in the Taupo town centre, left the trio shaken but uninjured.
Taupo police crash unit is investigating, but onlookers said it looked like the driver had put her foot on the accelerator rather than the brake, causing the car to shoot forward across the footpath.
The doors to Addiction Streetwear were open at the time and one was destroyed by the impact. The front of the car was badly damaged.
A man who was in a nearby shop when the crash happened said he was unsure whether the car had been parking or reversing, but the impact made a terrific bang.