diff --git a/src/gdal.cpp b/src/gdal.cpp
index 0a4818520..2a6908164 100644
--- a/src/gdal.cpp
+++ b/src/gdal.cpp
@@ -122,7 +122,9 @@ bool crs_is_na(Rcpp::List crs) {
 OGRSpatialReference *OGRSrs_from_crs(Rcpp::List crs) {
 	OGRSpatialReference *dest = NULL;
 	Rcpp::CharacterVector p4s = crs[1];
-	Rcpp::CharacterVector wkt2 = crs[2];
+	Rcpp::CharacterVector wkt2 = Rcpp::CharacterVector::create(NA_STRING);
+	if (crs.size() > 2)
+		wkt2 = crs[2];
 	if (!(Rcpp::CharacterVector::is_na(p4s[0]) && Rcpp::CharacterVector::is_na(wkt2[0]))) {
 		dest = new OGRSpatialReference;
 		dest = handle_axis_order(dest);
@@ -277,13 +279,18 @@ Rcpp::List create_crs(OGRSpatialReference *ref) {
 		crs(2) = Rcpp::CharacterVector::create(NA_STRING);
 	} else {
 		const char *cp;
+		bool epsg_is_na = true;
 		if (ref->AutoIdentifyEPSG() == OGRERR_NONE &&
-				(cp = ref->GetAuthorityCode(NULL)) != NULL)
+				(cp = ref->GetAuthorityCode(NULL)) != NULL) {
 			crs(0) = atoi(cp);
-		else
+			epsg_is_na = false;
+		} else
 			crs(0) = NA_INTEGER;
 		crs(1) = p4s_from_spatial_reference(ref);
-		crs(2) = CPL_wkt2_from_epsg(crs(0));
+		if (epsg_is_na)
+			crs(2) = Rcpp::CharacterVector::create(NA_STRING);
+		else
+			crs(2) = CPL_wkt2_from_epsg(crs(0));
 	}
 	Rcpp::CharacterVector nms(3);
 	nms(0) = "epsg";
@@ -458,8 +465,10 @@ Rcpp::List CPL_wrap_dateline(Rcpp::List sfc, Rcpp::CharacterVector opt, bool qui
 Rcpp::List CPL_crs_from_proj4string(Rcpp::CharacterVector p4s) {
 	OGRSpatialReference ref;
 	handle_axis_order(&ref);
-	if (ref.importFromProj4(p4s[0]) == OGRERR_NONE)
+	if (ref.importFromProj4((const char *) p4s[0]) == OGRERR_NONE) {
+		// Rcpp::Rcout << "got here" << std::endl;
 		return create_crs(&ref);
+	}
 	else {
 		const char *cp = p4s[0];
 		Rf_warning("GDAL cannot import PROJ.4 string `%s': returning missing CRS\n", cp);