Kaitaia firefighters at the scene of Sunday evening's crash north of Awanui.
Inquiries into a two-car crash on State Highway 1 just south of the Aupouri Forest headquarters are continuing but police suspected that one of the cars had been travelling on the the wrong side of the road.
A spokesman said it appeared that a Spanish tourist had exited Rotokawau Rd
and headed north in the south-bound lane on Sunday evening, travelling only a few metres before colliding with a south-bound vehicle on a blind corner.
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old Auckland man, his wife and three other passengers aged seven to 18 were taken to Kaitaia Hospital but appeared to have escaped without serious injury when their car rolled and crashed into trees on Taylor Rd at Te Kao early on Friday afternoon.
Police said the occupants of a car that rolled on Hukatere Rd, inside Aupouri Forest just inland from 90 Mile Beach, on Sunday were lucky to escape without serious injury.
"It could have been really nasty," an officer said. "The driver's door missing a very big stump by inches."
