Emergency services took almost 90 minutes to reach the scene of a fatal crash near Turangi on Sunday.
Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Kevin Taylor said all emergency services had difficulty with access to the remote location on a private forestry road and had to rely on a local on a trailbike to guide them through.
A 14-year-old boy was killed and two others - a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl - received minor injuries in the crash, which happened around 12.25pm on Waimarino Rd.
Mr Taylor said the serious crash unit was investigating the crash, which happened in an area surrounded by pine trees.
"It seems the vehicle has gone up a bank and hit a tree," Mr Taylor said.