A critically injured man had to wait for a crane to lift a power pole off his car in the Auckland suburb of Albany before he could be taken to hospital.
Police said the man crashed into the pole about 3am on the Albany Highway.
The pole landed on his car and the Fire Service was unable to cut him out until it had been removed.
Power was cut to the area during the rescue.
The man was conscious for most of the time, police said.
He was taken to Auckland Hospital in a critical condition.
Albany Highway was closed while the man was removed from the car but reopened shortly after 6am.
