A Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesman said it was a little unusual to have so serious an incident so close to a town.
"It was a relatively straight stretch of road," he said.
It was the second multiple fatality crash in Te Kuiti in just over a month. Three friends died after their car collided with a truck on Oparure Rd on January 13.
Senior Sergeant Mike Underwood, of the Waikato District Command Centre, said the two dead were in a north-bound car.
A vehicle following directly behind would have witnessed the crash and police wanted to speak with the occupants.
Inspector Peter Raynes of northern police communications said the crash involved two cars but he was unsure whether it was a head-on collision.
Waitomo District Mayor Brian Hanna the fatalities would be a "big shock" to the community, particularly coming so soon after a triple fatality.
It has been a horror few days on New Zealand's roads with eight people dead in five crashes.
On Friday, two women were killed in a crash near Cascade Creek on the Te Anau-Milford highway in Fiordland.
That night, a Hamilton teenager also died after he lost control and crashed into a tree.
Three people died in a fiery collision between a car and a milk tanker in Patea on Thursday afternoon.
The police serious crash unit is investigating.
