A Porirua woman drove nearly 100km before realising her two children were missing after they climbed from her van during a toilet break.
The woman was driving from Hastings to Porirua on Sunday night when she stopped in Masterton's Queen Elizabeth Park at 11.10pm for a toilet break.
Wairarapa police's Senior Sergeant Carolyn Watson said the woman then got back in the car and drove all the way home before realising her daughter, 6, and son, 10, were no longer in their seats.
''It was a van and it was dark and she thought they were sleeping,'' she said.
''It was pretty distressing for her to get all the way to Porirua and find the kids weren't in the car.''
She said two girls found the children near the toilet block and took them to the Masterton police station, where they were cared for by police staff until their mother returned.
Police thanked the two girls for helping the children to the station.
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