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[img]http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2012/03/15/3136552/stuck_729a-420x0.jpg[/img]
The Big Red Cat sails past the tourists' car. The low tide and a GPS navigation system lured them into the bay at Oyster Point at Cleveland. Photo: Chris McCormack, The Redland Times
Three Japanese tourists came unstuck on their planned Australian holiday on Thursday when they abandoned their hire car in Moreton Bay after they tried to "drive" to North Stradbroke Island.
The low tide and a GPS navigation system lured them into the bay at Oyster Point at Cleveland.
A firm gravel surface quickly gave way to the renowned bay mangrove mud and the Hyundai Getz was soon up to its axles, but not before they managed to travel about 500 metres.
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[img]http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2012/03/15/3136559/stuck_729b-420x0.jpg[/img]
The tourists retrieve belongings from their stranded hire car. Photo: Chris McCormack, The Redland Times
Their planned adventure to Straddie ended at 11am and the incoming tide soon forced them to seek help and abandon the vehicle.
By 3pm the car was stranded in two metres of water and the subject of much amusement from onlookers on the shore and passing boat and ferry traffic.
The Tokyo students had wanted to take a day trip to Straddie and believed their GPS unit would be able to guide them there. The GPS forgot to mention the 15 kilometres of water and mud between the mainland and the island.
[img]http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2012/03/15/3136578/stuck_729c-420x0.jpg[/img]
Red-faced tourists abandon their car in Moreton Bay. Photo: Chris McCormack, The Redland Times
Yuzu Noda, 21, said she was listening to the GPS and "it told us we could drive down there".
"It kept saying it would navigate us to a road. We got stuck . . . there's lots of mud."
Yuzu and and her travel friends Tomonari Saeki, 22, and Keita Osada, 21, were all looking forward to a day trip to the island, but headed back to the Gold Coast courtesy of a lift from the RACQ tow truck driver who was called to the stranded car.
After assessing the situation, no attempt was made to recover the vehicle.
A four wheel drive owner who saw the incident contemplated winching out the car, but abandoned any attempt due to the speed of the oncoming tide.
The three students will fly home to Tokyo on Saturday.
"We want to come back to Australia again. Everyone is very nice, even today," Ms Yuzu said.
Mr Tomonari said even though their holiday had ended on an unusual note they were happy no one was injured.
"It has rained every day on our six day holiday. Hopefully next time we come back it will be sunny," he said.
He also joked that the car became stuck because it was built in Korea. "Maybe if it was Japanese it would be okay," he said.
The car was covered by insurance, but will cost the tourists about $1500 in excess charges.
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[url]http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/taking-the-most-direct-route-to-straddie-20120315-1v85m.html[/url]
I know Its been a fact that GPS has been accurate. And you should never depend on it totally, but couldn't they had used their eyes?
Didn't this happen on an episode of The Office?
[QUOTE=Hunterdnrc;35164251]Didn't this happen on an episode of The Office?[/QUOTE]
I think it happened in the simpsons aswell
How dumb are people?
Intradasting.
Reminds me of my idiot cousins.
They used the GPS to get to our house (LA to the SF east bay), but couldn't find our road. They spent all their time looking at the damn GPS instead of looking up at the houses' numbers.
[QUOTE=Hunterdnrc;35164251]Didn't this happen on an episode of The Office?[/QUOTE]
Its a shakeycam, but here it is.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIakZtDmMgo[/media]
[editline]16th March 2012[/editline]
REALLYYY
[QUOTE=The Chef;35164382][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIakZtDmMgo[/media][/QUOTE]
Fuck I was about to post this. It was on last night!
I MEAN REALLLYYYY??
[editline]16th March 2012[/editline]
AND THERE GOES THE AUTOMERGE TOO
How can ANYONE be so retarded. How.
What the actual fuck?
haha, that was funny ;')
They mentioned this also on Top Gear, but yeah i agree with what they say about that since you can't be that retarded to drive into the sea
"Hm what is that boat doing on the road?"
[IMG]http://plaatjes.uploadplaatjes.nl/6/220476.gif[/IMG]
This is why I own a GPS with ten year old maps.
If it does not exist, you probably don't want to go there. :v:
[quote]He also joked that the car became stuck because it was built in Korea. "Maybe if it was Japanese it would be okay," he said.[/quote]
lol xenophobia
it's also more likely it was built in malaysia or india
Clearly they didn't look up off the GPS at all.
Why didn't they just look up?
People this stupid shouldn't be allowed to exist.
"Board ferry."
[QUOTE=garychencool;35166161]Clearly they didn't look up off the GPS at all.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't matter. It didn't lead them straight into the water. It lead them onto a beach that ended up fucking up the car so it couldn't get out. By the time they realized that the GPS was wrong it was too late.
If you believe the GPS over what your own eyes percieve you shouldn't be driving. It's that simple. The ocean is pretty hard to miss. It's big, flat, blue, the top wobbles around a bit, and it's not suitable for motor vehicles!
Alarm bells should've started ringing the moment they decided to drive to an island.
Japan has roads connecting islands so they were expecting that too maybe.
They literally just talked about this on topgear
Maybe they would have made it if they used clarksons toyboata
After 400 metres drive across the Pacific.
I just can't find these articles very amusing, I really feel for these guys.
Mainly because I just know that one day, one day I am going to fuck up amazingly and make international news myself.
I read this and kept thinking of the Allstate Mayhem commercial.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZXM_g3mqew[/media]
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