Lake Taupō rescue after motorist crashes off State Highway 1

An arborist has described how he and others rescued a man who veered off the road and into Lake Taupō.

Ian Ashmore was one of five people to pull a person from a ute that left SH1 and landed in the water near Rawhira Rd south of Motutere.

He was on his way home to Tūrangi and the ute was two cars in front of Ashmore at the time of the incident.

The first thought that crossed his mind was to “make a U-turn and see if everything is okay”.

Ashmore said the crash unfolded quickly.

“[The car] was driving along the road as normal and then all of a sudden it swerved off the right while accelerating, ploughed through the side barrier, right down the embankment, and came to rest in the lake.

Passers-by pulled a person from this ute, which left State Highway 1 and came to rest in Lake Taupō. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

“There was a vehicle with four people following the ute in the water and I was behind them. We all turned our cars and waded out to the ute in the water.”

They reached the vehicle “within a minute or two of it coming to rest”.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson told the Waikato Herald a 111 call came in regarding the crash at 2.11pm, with reports that a car had gone off the road into the water.

“It appears it was a medical event.”

Ashmore said they were all in a “reactive mode” when they entered the water.

“We ran straight into the water ... switched the engine and stereo off and checked [the person]. There was no thought process and we just did what we could.

Tūrangi arborist Ian Ashmore was one of five men who came to the rescue of a driver who crashed into Lake Taupō.

“We decided to get the person out of the water because we couldn’t feel a pulse ... we carried [the person] out of the vehicle, lifted them above water so they weren’t drenched in cold water. We got the person to shore and there was panic from people that were there watching.”

While waiting for emergency services, Ashmore began CPR and chest compressions, while another member of the public offered assistance and took turns with CPR.

Ashmore said the rescue was a huge team effort.

“A local was talking to the victim the whole time while we were doing CPR, another lady was conversing with emergency services and relaying everything that had happened and was happening, and someone even went to the local marae to get a defibrillator.

“When emergency services arrived, I realised the car had also been towed out of the water.”

Ashmore said it was about 30 minutes before emergency services arrived, but he was proud to have had first aid and CPR training.

“I’ve done a lot of training, but hadn’t actually done CPR until the incident ... it’s one of those things you hope you never have to use,” he said.

“In my job as an arborist, you think you’ll have to deal with serious cuts and broken limbs but not CPR. I’m very thankful for the training that I do have, and actually being able to help someone.”

Ashmore said he got into contact with a family member of the victim through social media who said the person was awake and talking.

The family member declined to comment when approached by Waikato Herald.

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said one person was transported to Waikato Hospital by helicopter in critical condition [on June 7].

“We responded with two ambulances and one helicopter.”

The scene of the single-vehicle crash on SH1 near Rawhira Rd, Taupō. Photo / Ian Ashmore

A Greenlea Rescue Helicopter spokesperson said one helicopter was on the scene, 15km north of Tūrangi near SH1.

A police spokesperson said officers were at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on SH1 near Rawhira Rd, Taupō.

“One person is believed to be in a critical condition,” the spokesperson said at the time.

“The Serious Crash Unit [had] been advised.”

Nigel Ackerman, of Palmerston North, said he was at the nearby SH1 rest stop before Waitetoko Beach Reserve when he saw the ute go off the road and into the water.

“We were just down here having a cup of tea.

“We heard this noise. Next thing you know he was in the lake.”

He said the ute came off the road and went about 10m into the lake, then a group of men quickly arrived and “grabbed him straight out of the car”, took him to shore and did CPR.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.

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