"The truck was laden with beehives resulting in the police officers who were first to arrive at the crash being stung a number of times."
Police also thanked those people who arrived at the scene and loaned beekeeping suits to the officers while they worked.
The road was closed until about 1.30pm.
Managing director of Arataki Honey Rotorua Russell Berry said Mr Honeycombe's mother and grandmother worked in his Waiotapu shop and were devastated and in deep shock.
"He was a 19-year-old and a very good member of our staff, enjoyed life and did a wonderful job at work. We are all very sad here.
"It was our beekeeping truck that he was in. I've been in this business for about 60 years and nothing like this has ever happened to us."
Mr Berry said three members of the company arrived at the scene shortly after the accident with beekeeping suits, gloves and antihistamine to lend to police working at the accident site.
"Apparently the truck had 120 tonnes of logs on it and was going very slowly up a hill in patches of fog. I'm guessing the driver never saw it. The driver was a very good driver, it's the last thing I expected to happen. I hope he [Mr Honeycombe] did not know what happened."
He said Mr Honeycombe was a "fine young man who was going to go a long way".
"We are all very sad. We are like one big a family out here," he said.
"The family are obviously in deep shock."
Warwick Wilshier, of Williams and Wilshier Ltd, which owns the logging truck, said the driver of the logging truck was "okay" following the crash.
"Obviously, he feels for the deceased ... he's a local."