Masterton teens save stranded kids | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

The good samaritans who came to the rescue of two young children accidently left behind by their mother have been revealed as 13-year-olds Jasmine Wade-White and Shaeane Sutherland.

The teens were not supposed to be out alone either, but have drawn praise for their quick thinking and common sense.

They went to the aid of a boy, 10, and girl, 6, who had got out of a van while their mother stopped to use the toilet at Queen Elizabeth Park on the way to Porirua from a holiday in Hastings.

The woman then drove nearly 100km home, thinking her children were asleep in the back seat.

Friends Jasmine and Shaeane were walking down Dixon St about 10pm on Sunday, after leaving Jasmine's house without permission, when they came across the children crying.

"We had seen the van leave and then they started crying, so we figured something was wrong. They looked pretty young," said Jasmine.

"They were crying and were saying 'Our mum left us - she thought we were asleep,"' said Shaeane.

The pair said although the children were crying, they were pretty quiet throughout the experience.

Shaeane said she and Jasmine tried to make the children laugh by dancing and telling jokes as they waited for the mother to return.

"We asked them if they were cold and if they wanted a jersey but they didn't want anything," said Jasmine.

"Their mum didn't come back and we didn't see the van, so we thought it would be the best thing to take them to the police station because anything could happen," said Shaeane.

The pair walked the children to the police station before continuing home.

The children were later reunited with their horrified mother, who contacted police once she realised they were missing, and drove back from Porirua to pick them up.

"I'm pretty pleased that they're with their mum and that they're safe," Jasmine said.

Shaeane's aunty Amberly Sutherland said she was proud of the two girls' actions.

"They shouldn't have been out at that time of the night but I'm proud of what they did," she said.

"The little kids are lucky they found two girls that were sensible enough to do the right thing," Ms Sutherland said.

She said she didn't realise the extent of the incident until she saw an article in the Times-Age.

"It wasn't until I read the paper that I realised the mum had driven so far," she said.