A runaway cow led a lone police officer on a zigzagging dance across a South Canterbury state highway this morning, holding up traffic as amused motorists filmed the standoff.
Roger Harper was driving south on State Highway 1 towards the township of Saint Andrews, south of Timaru, when he came across the scene, with flashing red and blue lights visible in the distance on the straight before the town.
"I'm thinking, oh no, I might have got a car accident, but it wasn't anything so dramatic," he told 1News.
He said the animal repeatedly dodged the officer, who had blocked the road with his police car and was trying to encourage it into a paddock.
"Every time the cow zigged, he zagged," Harper said.
He described the bovine as unbothered by the commotion.
"He was pretty nonchalant, really. It reminded me of a politician trying to dodge a reporter's questions."
Traffic banked up on the southbound side during the 'pursuit', though Harper said most of those caught up in the delay took it in good humour.
"Most people were laughing. It was quite entertaining. You could see people getting out of their cars.
"Only in New Zealand."
Acting Senior Sergeant Sebastian Kohnke said the officer came across the cow and helped get it off the road with the help of a traffic management person, who happened to be stuck in the queue of traffic.
"Police remind anyone keeping stock to ensure they are well secured, as loose stock wandering onto the road could cause a serious crash, and/or result in the loss of the stock."
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