A trucker who had picked up 80 weiner bulls from a Rāhui Road farm on September 28 ended up making an expensive mistake.

He failed to secure the tailgate correctly on the trailer of his stock truck, and before he got far, four bulls had made their getaway.

The tailgate swung open as he navigated the BP roundabout, where two bulls seized their opportunity and galloped onto the road.

Apparently unaware, the trucker continued up The Ramp and near the expressway off-ramp into Ōtaki before another one escaped, with a fourth another 100 metres further north.

Police say the scattered animals were eventually secured by members of public, the trucker, and police who had been alerted to the incident. The bulls were loaded back onto the truck uninjured, though one had to be tranquilised.

The trucker was issued with a $600 infringement notice.