A remarkable tale of survival has emerged from the Coromandel floods.
Two young campers clung to a chilly bin for dear life as they were swept away by floodwaters which also claimed their car.
The pair then climbed a tree in a desperate bid to avoid drowning and were stuck for hours in the dark as the water raged below them.
Young couple Molly Hunter and Oscar Holmes were incredibly lucky to survive the floods. Their red car was swept one kilometre down the river.
"It's just a miracle that they're alive, I just wanted to make sure that they knew there was someone here," says campsite co-owner Iain.
They were staying in a luxury teepee near Coroglen - it was meant to be a romantic getaway.
However before dawn on Wednesday a torrent of water tore through the campsite and the pair came up with a makeshift survival plan.
They got the big chilly bins, put their phones inside and jumped in the water.
Ms Hunter, Mr Holmes and the chilly bin were swept into a tree. They were luckily able to climb up, and then they used a torch to signal for help.
To keep their spirits up Iain kept calling to the couple through the night.
Ms Hunter and Mr Holmes were too shaken to talk on camera but they did tell us they were heartbroken at the destruction they witnessed.
Iain is getting on with the clean-up of his site. He's just thankful his guests are safely back with family.
Newshub.
