Crash blocks holidaymakers for five hours

State Highway 1 was closed after a Mercedes car carrying five people collided with three vehicles that were heading north. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Returning holidaymakers faced traffic delays and diversions for up to five hours yesterday after a multiple crash north of Auckland claimed the lives of two people.

The four-car accident, on State Highway 1 near Te Hana, left a further six people, including two young children, injured.

A 70-year-old woman died at the scene of the crash and a man aged in his 40s died in Auckland Hospital, bringing the weekend road toll to five.

Traffic was diverted from the main highway at Mangawhai Rd to the north and Whangaripo Valley Rd to the south.

Hours after the midday crash, the southbound queue waiting to reach the diversion point had backed up more than 10km.

Bev Chitty from the Shamrock Service Station at Kaiwaka, 16km north of Te Hana, said, "We had numerous people [come in] who had sat in queues of traffic for two and on to three hours and couldn't cope any more.

"They turned around to find somewhere to spend the next two or three hours.

"Even as far as Ruakaka, they chose to go back and spend the time on the beach or with family and we were convincing them to do that."

The road was opened at 5pm after a scene examination by the police serious crash unit and the removal of wreckage.

Police said the man who died was the driver of a southbound Mercedes that collided with three vehicles.

Senior Constable Gary Abbott said the Mercedes, with five people inside, first collided with a light truck before hitting another vehicle, in which the driver tried to take evasive action and hit a fence.

The Mercedes then struck a north-bound Nissan station wagon, carrying five people, including the elderly woman and two children.

The children, including a 7-year-old girl, were flown to hospital by helicopter but their injuries were not considered life threatening.

A woman passenger in the Mercedes was last night in a critical condition.

St John Ambulance said three other people - two teenagers and an adult - suffered moderate injuries and were taken to Auckland City Hospital by road.

Two people travelling in the light truck, and another two in the car that struck a fence, were not injured.

Mr Abbott said the accident happened just before the Te Hana bridge in a 100km/h zone but on a corner with a recommended 65km/h speed.

Te Hana resident Fai Robati said he heard a "massive bang" and ran to the crash scene.

He said the driver of the Mercedes was trapped in the vehicle but conscious.

Other people were walking around the vehicle "screaming and crying".

"There were a lot of kids," he said.

In other serious weekend road accidents:

* A cyclist died after crashing off the road in a race in rural Hawkes Bay yesterday. Police said Murray Robert Jessen, 53, of Palmerston North, left the road on a steep downhill, sweeping bend, went several metres down a roadside bank and struck a tree.

* A Coromandel man, Matthew Joseph Allen, 34, was killed in the early hours of Sunday when his light truck rolled on State Highway 25, 3km south of Coromandel.

* A 37-year-old man was killed on Friday night when a car smashed into a tree near Taupo. The car left the road on a moderate bend, slid for 100m and hit a pine tree.

* A woman was airlifted to Waikato Hospital last night with serious injuries to her head, neck and legs after the car she was driving and a campervan collided head on near Waitomo Caves Rd off State Highway 3.

- additional reporting, NZPA

Witnesses sought
* The police serious crash unit wants to hear from any witnesses to the crash near Te Hana yesterday.
* Contact Orewa police on (09) 426-1435.