A woman was airlifted to hospital after a serious crash involving a southbound logging truck and a northbound car on State Highway 1, Te Horo, outside Otaki Hydroponics about 2.20pm.
Otaki Volunteer Fire Brigade freed a middle aged woman from the car.
"She was pretty severely trapped," chief fire officer Ian King said.
"We removed the roof, took a door off and stretched the car back.
"She was choppered to Wellington Hospital.
"The truck and trailer were on its side and there were logs everywhere including by the railway line.
"It's lucky there was no one coming north in the path of the bouncing logs."
Road diversions were in place.