Traffic was banked up towards Katikati and through Bethlehem following a nose-to-tail crash just past the Wairoa River bridge around midday today.
A third vehicle was crashed down a bank.
The crash at the corner of Te Puna Station Rd and SH2 trapped an elderly woman in one of the cars. She was extracted by a fire service crew and taken to Tauranga Hospital by ambulance.
Traffic was crawling past the crash scene which was attended by three fire engines, two police cars and an ambulance.