Nine dead in blackest day on roads

Nine people are dead after the worst day of carnage on North Island roads this year.

Four people died in yesterday's worst accident, involving a three-car pile-up at Ohaaki on State Highway 5 between Rotorua and Taupo, at 2.07 pm. Six others were injured.

Inspector Barry Smalley, of Auckland, said a northbound car lost control just before the Mihi Bridge over the Waikato River, colliding head-on with a southbound car. Both drivers and front passengers died on impact.

The dead people in the southbound car were driver Wendy June Wood, aged 35, of Feilding, and John Williamson Luxford, 73, also of Feilding.

Those who died in the northbound car were driver Derek Haslam, 57, of Porirua, and Sarah Louise Haslam, 15, of Perth.

Three other passengers in the southbound car, a 4-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man, were seriously injured.

A third car travelling south ploughed into the accident.

Three passengers, a man, woman and child, all suffered minor injuries.

Police closed the road for three hours while they inspected the accident scene.

Five other accidents left five men dead.

William Thomas O'Connell, 80, of Auckland, died when the car he was driving collided with a truck at the intersection of State Highway 10 and Puketona Rd, north of Kerikeri, at 3.30 pm yesterday.

John Sutherland Auld, 33, was killed when the car he was a passenger in went over a bank at the side of Te Akau South Rd, north of Raglan, about 7 am.

Sergeant Mark Toomey, of Ngaruawahia, said the driver of the car suffered minor injuries.

Masterton farmer Shamus James Borthwick, 31, died when his car plunged over a 50m bank off Stronvar Rd just out of Masterton.

A 30-year-old Bay of Islands man died when his car left State Highway 1 and ran into a drain 2km north of Wellsford early yesterday.

Police said the man, who has not been named, was found dead in his car about 12.50 am by emergency services.

Another man died about 11.45 am when he fell off his motorbike at a street sprints racing event in Upper Hutt.

Meanwhile, the man who died near Ruawai, south of Dargaville, on Wednesday was Charles Alfred Probett, 75, formerly of Auckland. Police said he was driving north to Rawene in Hokianga to live with his family.

He is believed to have suffered a heart attack at the wheel.

* Police and road safety authorities in Northland intend to recreate a major highway crash scene in an effort to reinforce the safe driving message before the Easter holiday weekend in a fortnight.

Road Safe North coordinator Bill Rossiter said the recreated crash site involving police and firefighters would be set up on State Highway 1 at Ruakaka, south of Whangarei, on April 20 - the day before Good Friday.

The scene would also have a rest area for motorists. The exercise formed part of a speed, alcohol and safe-driving campaign during the pre-Easter period.

Twelve people have died on the road between Whangarei and the Brynderwyn Hills since the middle of last month, four of them in one crash and two more at Ruakaka last week.

"Now we're heading into the Easter danger period," said Inspector Rex Knight, the Northland police manager for operations and traffic, after a meeting on Friday with road safety representatives to plan details of the campaign.