The crash was a rude awakening for Katrina Pereka, who lives next door with her family. She is the kaitiaki, or guardian of Kawakawa Lodge and the car came to rest metres from where she sleeps. “It definitely woke me up. There was a huge banging and I knew it was a crash. “I did go outside and when I first went out there were no cops. Someone else had pulled over to help them.” She didn’t get involved because she was feeling unwell, but said she could hear the driver of the car speaking, and he wasn’t making any sense.