A family of six on a South Island campervan holiday had “the scariest” accident of their life when strong winds rolled their motorhome.
Tauranga’s Samantha Lewis was travelling on SH80 with her four children, including a one-year-old baby, at the time. She said everything was smashed.
“The kitchen fell over my children, and they were hanging in the campervan for two minutes. I am still in shock. I am starting to feel bumps and bruises. There is still a piece of glass in my leg,” she said.
“My daughter rolled over her younger brother. My one-year-old baby was stuck in his car seat. We were screaming ‘hold on, hold on’.”
“I was trying to kick the glass out of the van because I feared the children would get hurt.”
The family was travelling from Canterbury’s Salmon Farm to Tekapo Hotsprings when they decided to pull over on Mount Cook Rd as winds were strong.
“As we were coming along, it was quite windy. We took a decision to turn around as the turn looked a safe road but it definitely was not.
“I pulled into a bay and [was] yelling at kids ‘hold on’. Honestly, I regret that.”
Lewis said the crash could have been prevented if Waka Kotahi NZTA closed the road.
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Tauranga resident Samantha Lewis with her partner and four children.
“They knew the road is so notorious. A day before, two other cars [rolled] over. If there was a sign saying ‘no campervans’, too windy. I would have known.”
“If there was a shuttle service on Mount Cook Rd, everybody would be safe.”
Waka Kotahi said the electronic signs leading onto the Mt Cook/Aoraki highway were very clear.
“All our available electronic boards on SH8 (leading into SH80 from Fairlie, Tekapo and Omarama) had Strong Winds/Take Extra Care from Monday morning.”
Lewis said her cousin who was driving in front of her campervan and pulled over to help, but could get to them because of the wind.
It was the first time Lewis’s children visited Christchurch to see their family.
“We have been saving for this trip for more than 8 years. [We told the kids] your uncle and your cousin live in Christchurch, so we [planned] the first family trip in 8 years.
“First time I got kids to see their families down south.”
The family said they were still struggling to find accommodation, food and money from their campervan rentals.
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The motorhome as it skidded across the road on its side, into the path of oncoming traffic.
Lewis hired the six-berth motorhome through Mighty Campers, a rental company of Tourism Holdings.
Tourism Holdings chief executive officer Matthew Harvey said they had been in touch with the family and offered all the support.
“Our number one priority is ensuring our guests are safe on the road and drive to the conditions.
”We sent notifications, emails and texts to our customers warning them against driving in these extreme winds.”
The crash took place on Monday afternoon blocking both sides of the only road to Aoraki/Mt Cook.
