A Timaru man has ended up with an alcohol interlock sentence after a date in Mt Somers went wrong.

Umair Saeed, 33, admitted drink driving and careless driving when he appeared before community magistrate Sally O'Brien in the Ashburton District Court on Tuesday.

Duty lawyer Claire Yardley said Saeed had a temporary separation from his partner and had "gone on a website and arranged to meet a young woman in Mt Somers".

The woman wanted Saeed to bring some Indian food.

However, Saeed had no idea how small Mt Somers was and when he arrived in Mt Somers on June 15 he discovered he could not buy Indian food there.

"Some drinking took place. Then they argued."

He decided to drive and crashed on the way home. The car was wrecked and Saeed was taken to hospital, Yardley said.

Saeed and his partner were back together now and he'd learnt a lesson about the effects of alcohol, she said.

O'Brien said Saeed failed to take a gentle right-hand corner on Ashburton Gorge Rd just after 11pm.

The vehicle slid and rolled. Saeed had left the car and was found a short distance from the crash.

He told police he had been drinking vodka and Kingfisher beer.

The magistrate said a blood test at the hospital had a "very high" reading of 179 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

O'Brien said Saeed made a "very poor decision" to drive and was lucky not to kill himself or anyone else.

Saeed was given an alcohol interlock sentence, which effectively means he has to drive with zero alcohol for four years.

He was also fined $400, plus court costs of $130 and ordered to pay the blood analysis fee.