A teenage driver fled on foot after a 16-year-old boy was killed and two other young men were injured in the first fatal crash of this Labour Weekend.
Police found the 18-year-old man walking along State Highway 2 this morning after the single-car crash at Tahawai, north of Katikati in the Bay of Plenty, about 1am.
One passenger, a 16-year-old local boy, was killed in the crash.
Two others, both young men, were injured. One was taken to hospital with back injuries, while the other was treated for minor injuries.
The driver was found ``limping along'' the highway and was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries, Inspector Peter Raynes of police northern communications said.
Officers would speak with the man this morning.
The police serious crash unit was investigating the cause of the crash.
The crash has dashed hopes for the first fatality-free Labour Weekend since records began in 1956.
The official holiday period began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am tomorrow.