England World Cup rugby captain Martin Johnson escaped unhurt from a head-on car crash in New Zealand.

Johnson, on holiday with his wife Kay, was travelling over the Kaimai Ranges between the Bay of Plenty and Waikato when freak hail storms and a greasy road contributed to the collision with another car.

"I always have my seatbelt on and it definitely saved me," Johnson said. "Everyone's all right. No-one was injured, so no drama."

He was on the way to the King Country town of Te Kuiti, the home town of former All Black Colin Meads, for a speaking engagement on Monday night when the accident happened.

A Te Kuiti reunion with Johnson's former provincial team-mates was cancelled. The lock played for the King Country union in 1990 and 1991 and was selected for the Junior All Blacks on a tour of Australia before returning to England.