Fatal crash in Hawke's Bay brings holiday road toll to four less than two days after it began

Four people are dead following crashes on the road this holiday period - less than two days since the official holiday toll began.

One person died in a crash in Central Hawke's Bay this morning, hours after another fatal crash in Hanmer Springs.

Emergency services were notified at 5.35am that a van had rolled down a bank on Pourerere Rd, police said.

The passenger died at the scene and the driver has minor injuries.

Pourerere Rd was closed near the intersection of Clareinch Road while the Serious Crash Unit examined the scene.

The road was expected to remain closed for a couple of hours.

The Christmas Eve fatality is the 22nd this year in Hawke's Bay, encompassing the area between Wairoa to Tararua, and brings the region's road toll to the highest it's been since 2012 when there were 23 deaths.

Police thanked motorists in advance for their patience and a spokesperson said they were in the process of notifying the next-of-kin.

The driver of a car involved in a crash overnight in Hanmer Springs is also dead and their passenger seriously injured following a crash overnight.

The single-vehicle crash happened about 12.40am on Jollies Pass Road when the car collided with a tree, police said.

The driver died at the scene and a passenger was transported to hospital by helicopter.

The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.

Three people have now died on the road this Christmas holiday road toll period, which began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on January 3.

Taxi driver Abdul Raheem Fahad Syed, 29, was the first to die within the road toll period, and another person died in a crash in Northland about 5.45pm on Saturday.

Meanwhile, there has been a two-car crash near a West Auckland beach.

Emergency services were called to Piha Road.

Two people have also been hospitalised after a traffic accident in a forest near Rotorua.

One person is in a serious condition and anther has moderate injuries following the crash in the Tahorakiru Forest at around 6.30am.

So far year, 372 people have died on New Zealand roads, the highest number since 2010.

The figure at this time last year was 311.