A truck and trailer which plunged 10m down a bank into a river was one of two crashes bringing traffic to a halt in the Bay.
The driver of the truck escaped unharmed after the dramatic crash on State Highway 2 in the Karangahake Gorge yesterday morning.
Fire and Emergency northern shift communications manager Jaron Phillips said a freight truck laden with fruit plummeted into the Ohinemuri River between Paeroa and Waihi at 5am.
Firefighters helped the truck driver up the steep bank, Phillips said.
The NZ Transport Agency said the road would be closed overnight while the truck and trailer unit was removed and warned drivers to expect delays.