Pakipaki mayhem: Two serious crashes hours apart on stretch of road

The back-to-back crashes resulted in two people being taken to hospital with serious injuries. Photo / NZME

The small village of Pakipaki south of Hastings became a hive of sirens and flashing lights on yesterday evening as emergency services rushed to help travellers injured in back-to-back crashes.

State Highway 2, which runs through the suburb, was closed twice in a matter of hours after serious crashes at 3.30pm and 7pm.

Both crashes happened within 1km of each other along the busy road.

The first crash along SH2 at Pakipaki. Photo / Paul Taylor

The first crash was about 3.30pm near Pakipaki School, at the intersection of SH2 and Turamoe Rd, and involved two vehicles.

A woman in her 40s suffered critical injuries and she remains in critical condition in ICU at Hawke's Bay Hospital this morning.

A section of SH2 was closed until 6.15pm.

About 7pm roughly 200m south of the Pakipaki roundabout, within 1km of the first crash, two vehicles collided.

The second crash along SH2 at Pakipaki. Photo / Supplied

Police confirmed one person was initially trapped before being taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A section of SH2 was closed until 8.40pm.

On Monday, a person died in a crash along SH5 at Tarawera, between Eskdale and Taupo. Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash.

Meanwhile, a man in his 60s remains in a critical condition in the ICU at Hawke's Bay Hospital after a crash on July 12 in Pakowhai, on the outskirts of Hastings, that killed a 24-year-old woman.