Thrill-seeking tourists flock to New Zealand to experience adrenaline-pumping activities but one Finnish backpacker was just looking for a lift when he got the ride of his life.
The tourist, who has been working in Queenstown, was heading north for a holiday and instead of catching the bus, he took the less-conventional option of hitchhiking to Northland.
His journey took an even less-conventional turn when he was picked up by a man in a stolen car.
Police clocked the driver speeding down State Highway 1 and after he failed to stop, a chase began - with the unsuspecting tourist in the passenger seat.
Officers called off the pursuit due to high speeds but when the driver sped through a roadworks site several kilometres down the highway, the police were called.
Witnesses say he was driving at about 100km/h through the site.
"He sent some road cones flying and knocked a piece of the bumper off his car as he went through," Sergeant Kevin Milne of Kawakawa Police told AAP.
Officers set up road spikes further along the highway but the driver avoided them by crossing on to the wrong side of the road.
Police started another pursuit, but when the man again drove on to the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic, that chase was also quickly abandoned.
Members of the public later saw the car turning off to Kawakawa and tipped off police.
They found the abandoned vehicle and nearby, a shaken tourist.
The Finnish man pointed out where the driver had fled to and he was found and arrested.
"The tourist was in the car for the pursuits and the road spikes," Sgt Milne said.
"He got quite a bit more than he bargained for."
Uninjured, but a little scared, the tourist helped police out with their inquiries.
"He said to me that he was terrified, but by the time we'd taken a statement from him he had calmed down quite a lot," Sgt Milne said.
"He was starting to laugh and have a bit of a joke about the experience that he'd had."
And in the end, he got that free lift along with a bonus tour guide, with Sgt Milne personally driving him to his destination in Paihia.
"I showed him around the town and pointed out a few of the places that I consider a must see and dropped him at the backpackers (hostel)," Sgt Milne said.
He was very appreciative, he said.
"Not every tourist comes over to New Zealand and goes home with an adventure tourism story like that."
The driver has been charged with a raft of offences including failing to stop, driving while forbidden, reckless driving, dangerous driving and stealing a car.
Police also discovered he had two outstanding warrants for his arrest.
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