By ELIZABETH BINNING, JO-MARIE BROWN and NZPA
Police and fire authorities believe historian Michael King and his wife, Maria Jungowska, were killed by the impact of the crash before fire engulfed their car.
King, 58, author, historian and father of two, and his wife were killed after their stationwagon veered off State
Highway 2 into a tree and exploded into flames on Tuesday.
Two German tourists who saw the crash and attempted to put the fire out have given statements to the police.
Police said it was likely the pair died as a result of their injuries before the car caught fire.
The police investigation into the crash at Maramarua, south of Auckland, could take several weeks.
The couple were on their way to Auckland to catch a flight to Kerikeri to spend time in the Bay of Islands.
The owner of the Petticoat Junction tearooms south of Maramarua, Cherie Collis, said King and his wife often stopped for a bite to eat when travelling between Auckland and their Coromandel home.
The couple had not planned on stopping there on Tuesday morning and originally drove past, but had forgotten something and returned home to get it.
When they drove back along State Highway 2, just before 12pm, they decided to stop and get an early lunch, pumpkin soup, toast, sandwiches and tea.
They walked to a table and King waited for his wife to be seated before sitting down himself.
"He always seemed to be a very gentle person, very considerate towards his wife," said Mrs Collis. "He was an old-fashioned gentleman." He said, 'Hooray, see ya next time' and waved on his way out."
Just 4.5km north of the tearooms, King's Subaru Legacy drifted across the highway and slammed into a tree.
Hamilton acting deputy fire chief Darryl Papesch said the badly burned car was taken to Huntly on Tuesday night for investigation.
Mr Papesch said it was rare for a car to ignite after an accident.
It would take weeks for investigators to establish why it had caught fire but one possibility was that the fuel lines ruptured and leaking fuel ignited after spilling on to something hot such as the exhaust.
Locals said this was the third serious and second fatal accident along the busy highway in the past 10 days. Last Thursday, a man in his 60s was killed when he tried to overtake a truck at Mangatawhiri and hit another truck head on.
Two days earlier two men were taken to hospital with moderate to serious injuries when a truck driver pulled out in front of a bus carrying tourists.
Transit New Zealand says the section of State Highway 2 where King died was not considered dangerous.
Transit chief executive Rick Van Barneveld said the road was wide and in excellent condition and there was no history of vehicle accidents there.
By ELIZABETH BINNING, JO-MARIE BROWN and NZPA
Police and fire authorities believe historian Michael King and his wife, Maria Jungowska, were killed by the impact of the crash before fire engulfed their car.
King, 58, author, historian and father of two, and his wife were killed after their stationwagon veered off State
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