One dead after van and bus collide on Auckland's North Shore

A person is dead after a bus and van collided on a busy road on Auckland's North Shore.

Emergency services are at the crash on Waipa Rd, Birkenhead, which happened just before midday.

The van driver died at the scene.

No passengers were on the bus but the driver has minor injuries and was taken to North Shore Hospital.

The bus' windscreen is shattered with a gaping hole on the driver side. It rests diagonally across the road.

A mangled van is covered by a tarpaulin and chunks of debris lie all over the road.

Residents who live near cordon are unable to get home until the scene is cleared.

One neighbour who doesn't wish to be named said the locals heard a "loud bang".

Birkenhead Transport managing director Robert Inwards said he understood the driver, who had been working for the company for about 10 years, was not badly hurt but was very upset.

"He's doing alright, he's got some cuts and bruises.

"We've already decided he's not driving next week and we'll give him some counselling if he wants it," Inwards said.

Calling the crash a "terrible tragedy", Inwards said he felt for the dead van driver's family.

"It's a horrible time at Christmas and I'm really sad and my thoughts go out to them."

He did not know who caused the crash, he said.

Damon Hodson, 43, was painting the house next door when he heard the collision.

He ran over and instantly knew the driver was dead.

"I knew he wasn't alive."

Damon Hodson, 43, was painting the house next door when he heard the collision.

Hodson thought the vehicles had hit square on as the van was hanging out of the bus's windscreen when he arrived.

"He's hit the bus and spun around.

"It's not nice for someone's family."

The serious crash unit is investigating.

Waipa Rd is now closed and diversions are in place.

Reports of a crash on Mokoia Rd/Waipa St in Birkenhead. Please follow directions of emergency services. #Delays are possible ^TP pic.twitter.com/xFVgE25Ras

— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) December 8, 2016

Motorists have been asked to avoid the area.

Elaine, 77, who lives within the cordon has been trying to get back home for almost two hours. She drove around for an hour trying to find a way back to her home, but is now waiting it out on the grass.

"I've got a kitten at home waiting for me. It's the first time I've left him by himself.

"He'll be wrecking the place."

This isn't the first time a police cordon has stopped her from getting home. Last year she waited for hours after a woman was crushed by a rubbish truck on Kauri Rd. This year she said it took her forever to get home after a motorbike crashed on the afternoon of the Auckland marathon.

Elaine, who has lived on the street for 50 years, said too many accidents have happened on that road.

"People go too fast ... There's been a few people killed on it."

Local man Craig McWilliams, 21, agreed. He said people regularly speed around the corner and there is almost one crash a month there.

"It's a notoriously bad stretch of road."

- More to come.