Roading contractors have rescued several ducklings trapped down in a mudtank in Central Otago.
Photos of Wednesday morning's rescue in Alexandra were shared on social media.
Alexandra local Barbara Hall was among a group cycling from Clyde.
"We were biking home along the rail trail and we saw these men with their heads down the drain, and mother duck was distressed," she told RNZ.
"They were getting the ducklings out one by one."
Six to eight ducklings had fallen into the drain, Hall said.
Hall praised the efforts of Fulton Hogan's contractors-turned-rescuers.
"Even one person was holding on to another person's legs as he went further down the drain. So they did a great job," she said.
The mother duck and her flock of about a dozen ducklings then made a hasty exit.
"Mama Duck decided that she would take them across the road. So we looked out for cars while they were going across."
