A witness earlier said a smoking car engine had flown into the middle of the road after the crash. He described the moment another bystander walked to one of the cars and hung a jersey over the window.
He said another bystander was "holding on to a body" on the side of the road.
He described seeing a black Holden saloon and a red double-cab ute, the latter so badly damaged he "couldn't even tell the make of it - that's how bad it was".
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the highway was closed and emergency services were at the scene. The serious crash unit was attending.
