A motorcyclist says he was lucky to escape serious injury when his bike suddenly lost traction on loose gravel covering a lane of Old Coach Rd on August 16.

Jeremy Newell, from Wainui near Ōpōtiki, was leading a group of Ulysses Motorcycle Club riders heading towards Tauranga when he crashed on a 35km/h bend on the Western Bay of Plenty road.

Newell said the group had come over a rise, and he could see the approaching right-hand bend about 80m ahead.

“I saw nothing untoward that I thought I saw, like a bit of a light patch on the road,” he said.

He slowed from about 70-80km/h to about 50km/h before entering the bend.

“As soon as I entered the curve, my wheels just went from underneath me.”

A close-up of the gravel patch on Old Coach Rd at the time of Jeremy Newell's motorcycle crash on September 16.

He said his motorcycle slid into the roadside drain, while he was thrown to the side.

Newell said he was shocked when he got back on his feet and saw the amount of gravel on the road.

“The depth of the gravel on the road – it was the full width of the lane and covered it completely.”

A rider behind him saw what was happening and managed to avoid the crash. The rest of the group stopped before reaching the affected section.

Newell said he spoke to residents living near the corner, who told him roadworks had taken place on August 13 and that signs had been removed on August 14.

According to Newell, one of the residents told him up to four cars had subsequently gone off the road between August 14-16.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council director transportation Calum McLean confirmed the council was notified of the August 16 motorcycle crash and received a further report from Newell on August 18. “In response, our contractor arranged for the road to be swept and any loose material removed,” McLean said.

The patch of gravel across the lane on Old Coach Rd.

Newell reported the incident to the police and contacted the council after returning home.

He said the council initially told him someone had been sent to inspect the road on the afternoon of August 16 but could not find anything. After he supplied photographs, he said an engineer subsequently inspected the site and the gravel was swept.

Newell also submitted an online report to the council and said he was told an investigation would be carried out.

McLean said the council takes incidents on its roads seriously and reviews concerns raised by road users. “The matter is currently being managed by the party and insurers involved,” he said.

“As this process is still underway, it would be inappropriate to comment on liability or potential outcomes. Any lessons learned or improvements identified will be considered once that process has been completed.”

The council said no separately identified resealing, line-marking or sweeping works had been recorded between May 2025 and August 2026.

The crash scene on Old Coach Rd, showing the gravel.

“Any such activities that may have occurred would have been undertaken as part of broader contractual works delivered under separate contracts and are not recorded or reported as individual work items,” McLean said.

Because the road was swept following notification of the August 16 crash, McLean said no further sweeps were planned.

Newell is seeking reimbursement of his $300 insurance excess. “It’s not really the money, it’s the bloody principle,” he said.

His motorcycle was written off because its front wheel went into the drain, damaging the frame. His helmet, jacket and jeans were also damaged.

Newell suffered a blow to his shoulder and cuts to his face after gravel entered through his visor but did not require medical treatment. “I was very lucky I didn’t really get too injured,” he said.

The crash has particular resonance for another motorcyclist who came off his bike on the same road in early 2025.

Mark Colley was one of 12 riders, all aged over 50, who were riding together on Old Coach Rd on February 27, 2025, when three riders crashed on loose gravel following resealing work.

Emergency services at the scene of a motorcycle crash on Old Coach Rd, Pukehina on February 27, 2025.

Colley suffered serious leg injuries and spent several periods in hospital, including surgery to insert a plate in his knee. The plate was eventually removed about 10 months later after an infection was brought under control.

More than a year on, Colley said he is riding his motorcycle again.

“It’ll never be 100%, but it doesn’t stop me from doing everything,” he said.

Colley said his own dispute with the council over the road condition eventually resulted in the council accepting liability.

His insurer waived his excess, with the insurer then pursuing the council for its costs.

However, McLean said the council did not accept liability for the February 2025 crash.

“As a general rule, where a claim relates to road maintenance work undertaken by a contractor, liability would rest with the contractor rather than council,” he said.

The council said it was unable to comment on arrangements or discussions between private parties and their insurers.

Emergency services at the scene of the motorcycle crash on Old Coach Rd, Pukehina on February 27, 2025.

Colley said the experience has made him particularly concerned about the latest crash.

He believes motorcyclists should not automatically be blamed for crashes when road conditions are a contributing factor.

The February 2025 crash was previously reported by the Weekend Sun. At the time, the council said resealing had taken place at several sites on Old Coach Rd and that temporary traffic management remained in place until sweeping and line-marking were completed.

The council said the section where the February 2025 crash occurred had been swept on January 10, with another sweep carried out on March 6 after it was made aware of the crash.

For Newell, the latest incident has left him questioning why a similar situation appears to have occurred again.

“To come over a blind rise and then heading down to a curve and nothing, just nothing, it was just unbelievable,” he said.

“It could have been fatal.”

McLean said the council expects appropriate temporary warning signs to be in place whenever road maintenance work results in drivers travelling over gravel surfaces or freshly sealed road surfaces.

“Temporary signs should remain in place until loose chip has been removed and road markings have been reinstated,” he said.

However, the council does not generally consider permanent warning signs on bends advising of loose surface conditions to be appropriate.