NZTA Waka Kotahi is warning motorists on a newly repaired highway to slow down after a driver had his windscreen smashed by a "golf ball" sized rock.
The stretch of State Highway 25A has been closed since January after it was decimated by a large landslide.
The damaged area of highway between Kōpū and Hikuai was described by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi as "bigger than one and a half rugby football fields" at the time.
The road was expected to open next year, but opened three months early this week as the work was completed ahead of schedule.
But Orr said visitors and locals in the area should be careful when driving on the new road.
“We weren’t going quickly at all. In fact, there was no cars in front of us, and it was a truck going the other way that threw the stones up.
“It felt pretty serious because I was driving a convertible and if I’d been a metre further up the road it might have come through the side window and clocked me in the head.”
Orr added no one was hurt in the event, but he has heard from about 30 to 35 others on Facebook who said they had similar experiences.
“One poor lady got a couple of chips in her windscreen, went to Thames to get it repaired, and was coming home and got two fresh ones.”
Waka Kotahi NZTA urged drivers to slow down on State Highway 25A, to watch their following distance and drive to sign-posted speed limits.
"A new seal on any stretch of road takes time to bed-in and can have loose chip, which is why we have reduced speeds," a spokesperson said.
"Drivers should show respect for other vehicles on the road by complying with speed limits.
“NZTA and our contractors worked around the clock to get SH25A open by Christmas. Now we ask drivers to play their part in ensuring the journey is safe and enjoyable for everyone.
"When people drive too fast – others pay the price."
At this stage, the agency said it had received one report of loose chip causing damage to a windscreen.
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