A section of the Napier-Taupō highway was closed for more than 12 hours on Saturday for the salvage of a truck, trailer and its freight which had blocked the road since before dawn.
No injuries were reported in what police said was a single-vehicle crash, which happened about 24km northwest of Napier, between the State Highway 5 intersections with Hill Rd, near Eskdale, and Glengarry Rd, southeast of Te Pohue. It was reported to emergency services at 4.35am.
The stretch of road was closed between the two intersections and light vehicles were able to still travel between Napier and Taupō, detoured through Seafield and Glengarry roads. Operators of heavy transport vehicles were advised to take other routes.
A pair of mobile cranes were used at the scene, where the truck and trailer, operated by nationwide carrier Toll, straddled the northbound and southbound lanes, with freight also strewn across the highway.
Fire and Emergency NZ had crews from Bay View and Napier were at the scene, along with another unit amid worries that some of the freight may have contained hazardous material.