A police officer who attended the scene of a vehicle accident in Hāwea Flat this morning (Wednesday May 29) said it served as a “cautionary tale” on winter driving.

Two ambulances were dispatched to Camphill Road at 8.18am after Hato Hone St John was notified of a crash “but they were not required once they were on scene as it was a non-injury accident,” a St John representative said.

Two vehicles left the road after hitting black ice on the west side of the Camphill Road bridge: a truck flipped on its side and a van rolled off the road. 

Police said the incident was a cautionary tale to drive to the conditions.

Around seven minutes earlier a single vehicle also lost control after hitting black ice in Albert Town.

Wānaka Police sergeant Dylan Hannah-Jones spoke to the Wānaka App at the site of the Camphill Road crash.

He said it was “a cautionary tale to drive to the conditions”.

In very cold temperatures, drivers should be cautious of black ice and “if a patch of road looks wet or damp, assume it’s black ice and let your car slow down on its own - brake gently before you get to a curve,” NZ Police said in a statement.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App