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Six young people are in custody after fleeing police in Auckland who say they drove several kilometres on the wrong side of the motorway.
Police said they first spotted the stolen car in Manukau just before 1.30am on Tuesday and tracked it using security cameras and a helicopter.
The driver eventually stopped in Botany, but took off again, mounted a footpath to get around road spikes and then drove at speed in the motorway lanes.
"Despite not being pursued, the vehicle has entered State Highway 1 heading south and once it reached Drury it has driven the wrong way down the motorway for more than four kilometres," Senior Sergeant Steve Albrey of Counties Manukau police said.
A second attempt at spiking the vehicle was successful and it eventually stopped in Ohinewai in Waikato.
A 16-year-old was facing charges in the Manukau Youth Court, while five others, aged 13 to 16, were been referred to Youth Aid.
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