The person who died in a crash on the Hauraki Plains yesterday is believed to be a 46-year-old Whitianga woman.
Police have yet to confirm the identity of the body in a silver Ford Fiesta hatchback found submerged in a drain next to State Highway 25 at Waitakaruru, 2km east of Kopu.
Senior Sergeant Kevin Anderson of Waikato police said the cause of the single-vehicle crash was still under investigation and appealed for witnesses.
"Yesterday's fatality brings the number of people to have died on Waikato roads this year to 16 from 16 crashes.
"As we head into an early spring, police and their partner emergency services are urging motorists to drive to survive and watch you following distances and speed."