One person killed in Christmas Eve crash near Rotorua

The site of a three-vehicle collision which left one person dead. Photo / Stephen Parker

A woman has died driving a car near Rotorua on Christmas Eve in a crash that saw three people trapped in three different cars.

Emergency services were called to the three-car collision at the intersection of State Highway 5 and Maraeroa Rd at 9.16pm on Sunday.

The woman who died was driving one of the cars. Her name had not yet been released as next of kin were being notified, police said.

Three ambulances attended the scene and took one person with serious injuries and three with moderate injuries to Rotorua Hospital.

The police statement said the driver and passenger in the second car involved had serious injuries, and the driver of the third car involved had minor injuries.

The Serious Crash Unit was advised.

Rotorua Fire Brigade senior station officer Tony Kelly said they were joined by the Tirau Volunteer Fire Brigade.

"The collision involved a car turning right towards Mamaku. There were three people trapped across the three different vehicles."

He said they were on the scene for at least an hour and a half.

The road was closed and there were lengthy diversions in place. All motorists travelling between Tirau and Rotorua were diverted through Putaruru and Tokoroa. Police thanked motorists for their patience.

The crash brought the holiday road toll to five.

"It's a bit scary driving on our roads at the moment with the road toll so high," Kelly said.

The Christmas-New Year holiday road period runs until 6am on January 3. Last summer 15 people died on New Zealand roads during the holiday period.

In the past year there have been 373 deaths on our roads compared with 327 the year before.