While Kyle James Clarke managed to escape from the stolen Mercedes and swim to safety, Christie was not so lucky.
It wasn't until the next day that the 70-year-old's body was found, submerged in the car he was driving.
Now Clarke is on trial, accused of driving in a manner that led to Christie's death in Blenheim.
The 31-year-old has admitted entering Christie's home on March 12, 2022, taking the keys and then taking the Mercedes, but has denied charges relating to the circumstances in which Christie died the following day.
Clarke appeared at Blenheim District Court yesterday for the start of a judge-alone trial defending charges of reckless driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death (alternative) and failing to stop determine injury or death.
The hearing began with a waiata and acknowledgment by Judge Jo Rielly of Christie's sudden and tragic death.
Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber said the key issue at trial was likely to be whether Clarke's alleged high speed and reckless driving caused Christie's death.
“The Crown's position is that there is no doubt that Mr Christie was pursuing Mr Clarke who was in a stolen blue car and that Mr Christie wanted to get it back.”
The defense focuses on causal events and the moments leading up to the collision, and on whether the cause of Christie's tragic death was speed, which was “exponentially different in character” than the way he drove to that point.
Defense attorney Tony Bamford said his case would also examine whether Christie's death could have been the result of a medical event, and that it appeared he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The stolen car
Christie's wife, Heather, described him in her testimony as a peaceful man and if he had seen his stolen car, he would have wanted to find out who did it and give them a “narrative.”
Webber said Clarke entered Christies' Blenheim home at around 8am on March 12, a Saturday, through a partially open side door that Allister had left ajar for the family dog while he went to work. Heather was upstairs in bed.
Clarke took items from the house, including a set of car keys, to their blue Mercedes Benz and then drove away in it.
He was seen by police less than an hour later while parked outside an address in Blenheim.
Police recognized Clarke and tried to stop him, but he drove away at high speed, overtaking vehicles as he fled so they did not pursue him.
Christie was informed of the incident later that day and is said to have expressed frustration at what had happened.
The high speed chase
Around noon the next day, Clarke was seen driving the Mercedes north towards the State Highway 1 roundabout in Blenheim.
He entered the roundabout at the same time as the silver SsangYong driven by Christie.
It was claimed that a high-speed chase took place through the inner streets of Blenheim, which has a 50 km/h speed limit, before Clarke turned sharp left onto SH1 and drove over the motorway bridge at a speed reportedly close to 130 km/h / u lay as he passed. two vehicles at the same time.
The area is often busy with traffic and heavy vehicles coming from the Cook Strait ferries from Picton south via Blenheim to Christchurch.
According to witnesses, Clarke drove another 1.5 miles and then, without using the turning lane, suddenly swerved into a street at a speed of 60 to 50 mph, into oncoming traffic and over the train tracks.
The manner in which he allegedly drove through an intersection caused significant alarm for others on the road.
One of them was resident Skye Hale, who told the court she was driving home from a nearby dairy farm when she saw a car “flying in front of her” as she approached the left turn off the highway onto the street where she lived .
She said the car was traveling “very fast” and a second car appeared to be chasing the first.
The crash
Clarke is said to have accelerated heavily for another 3.3 km towards the Ōpaoa River at speeds of up to 160 km/h.
As Clarke approached a river stop bank, described as a 'blind bump', drivers could only see above it, it is claimed he planned an evasive maneuver in the hope that Christie would pass and not see him.
Moments later, Christie crossed the stop bank at an estimated speed of more than 75 mph. His vehicle launched into the air and landed on its nose, skidding and hitting the rear of the blue Mercedes, pushing both vehicles into the Ōpaoa River where they were submerged.
The impact was so severe that the vehicle's debris was scattered over a wide area.
Christie's vehicle was later found in a deep culvert, where oil and fuel leaking from the vehicle had made the water cloudy.
Hale saw the first car go over the stop bank and the second become airborne. She went to look later but couldn't see any vehicles.
Christie is believed to have died from the impact of the crash and from being submerged in the river.
Clarke was able to get out of the Mercedes through a back door and swim to the sofa before reportedly running from the scene.
Police claimed he failed to check on Christie or provide any assistance.
Around 4pm, Adrian Ferris was cycling and saw two vehicles in the river. He initially thought they had been dumped. He took pictures and tried to call the police, but couldn't get through and continued his drive.
Ferris' neighbor was a police officer, who, after hearing what Ferris had seen and seeing the photographs he had taken, alerted the staff on duty who went to secure the scene.
By this time it was getting dark and police on the scene could see evidence of a high-speed collision, but could not see if anyone was in either car.
It wasn't until the next morning that Christie was found in the submerged vehicle. His body was removed that afternoon and his family was notified.
The process continues.
– Tracy Neal, Open Justice reporter