Police said on Sunday they were not in a position to release any further details about the crash or its victim. A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said the crash started a fire, which had required firefighters to attend to extinguish.
It's the first fatality on Hawke's Bay roads since the tragic death of young Māori leader Jaydus Hungahunga, 19, in mid-November.
Hastings councillor and Waimarama resident Bayden Barber said the tree-lined stretch of road was well known as a place where drivers accelerated because it was one of the first and last opportunities to pass between Waimarama and Havelock North.
He said until the circumstances of the crash were known he wasn't sure if safety improvements should be considered for the road.
The crash followed one in northern Hawke's Bay a few hours earlier.
The Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said firefighters and a rescue helicopter were called to a car that had driven off a 100-metre bank near the remote village of Tuai about 1am.
An occupant of the car was winched from the scene by helicopter, the spokeswoman said.
She said reports from the scene suggested they had been down the bank for roughly four hours when discovered.
A spokesman for the Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter confirmed they attended the incident but did not have further details available.
About the same time on Saturday, two cars were involved in a "head-on" collision on Queen St and Karamu Rd in Hastings, the spokeswoman said.
A police spokeswoman said two people had received serious injuries, one of whom was trapped in a vehicle and needed to be cut from their car by firefighters. The road was closed at the time.
Police help right a tractor that rolled on State Highway 2 near Takapau, closing the road on Saturday. Photo / NZME
State Highway 2 was then closed at Takapau for a brief period on Saturday morning after a tractor and trailer rolled on the highway.
Diversions were put in place for the crash as the tractor was righted. There were no injuries reported.
Police were then called after a car rolled on SH50 near Maraekakaho just before 11pm on Saturday.
A police spokesperson said a car was found at the site, but no one was found with it.
They said they had also dealt with several other minor crashes overnight on Saturday, but there had been no injuries or traffic issues with any of them.
On Sunday State Highway 2 in Hawke's Bay was closed for hours after a two-car crash downed power lines near Pakipaki.
Emergency services were called to the scene about 2.20pm. At 4.30pm, police were predicting the road would remain shut for several hours.
A police spokeswoman said one car had collided with a power pole, leaving fallen powerlines across both lanes of the road.
A 4x4 vehicle involved in the incident had also crashed at the scene.
One person was trapped in the car but was conscious and speaking with staff at the scene, the spokeswoman said.
A spokesperson for St John Ambulance said two ambulances and an intensive care paramedic had treated and transported two people in a serious condition to Hawke's Bay Hospital.
Within 15 minutes police were called to another crash, between a car and pedestrian on Awatoto Rd, Meeanee. There were no indications of serious injuries, a police spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, it was on Sunday confirmed that the condition of a car driver critically injured after a collision with a truck on the Napier-Taupō Rd last week has improved.
The crash towards the Taupō end of what Waka Kotahi NZTA calls the Thermal Explorer Highway, and in a designated "High Crash Area" between Rangitaiki and Waipunga Falls, happened in fine weather about 12.40pm on Thursday.
The man was flown by rescue helicopter to Waikato Hospital.
