Car flies through air and down bank

This car had to be towed free from blackberry bushes after it crashed down a bank yesterday. Photo/Stephen Parker

Two people are lucky to have walked away unscathed after their car flew through the air and down a bank on State Highway 5.

The crash happened about 6km south of Hemo Gorge around 2.30pm yesterday and was witnessed by other family members.

The couple were travelling north from Turangi to Tauranga, the driver said. The man, who didn't want to be named, said he had stopped in Taupo for lunch and then at Waiotapu for ice cream.

"I hit the kerb, went airborne and drove down the bank," he said.

"It was different. I was waiting for a big bang. The blackberry bushes broke our fall. We got out and had to scramble to safety."

The man's nephew was in a car travelling behind them with other relatives. They stopped and called 111.

"It was a relief to see they were okay," he said. "It was an experience [for them] all right."

The car, a Ford Focus, ended up 6m down a bank and was towed back on to the road.

Rotorua police Senior Constable Grant Keys said the crash highlighted the effect of fatigue on driving. He said the man was driving at "an open-road speed" and police would be investigating the crash.