Elderly woman dead after vehicle rolls

An elderly woman has died after a vehicle rolled off the road and down a hill in a remote part of the Bay of Islands this afternoon.

The vehicle rolled on Russell Rd in Whangaruru, about 8km from the Oakura Rd turnoff, as it was heading toward Russell about 2.50pm.

Inspector Danny Meade, of police northern communications, said it was unclear whether the woman died as a result of the crash, or if she had died beforehand.

"We don't know exactly how that's happened at this stage, we're still speaking to witnesses," he said.

The woman was trapped in the vehicle and family were at the scene.

An ambulance has been sent from Whangarei and several police cars were on their way.

The crash appeared to have happened close to the woman's home, Mr Meade said.

It was the second fatality this weekend after a person died in a single-vehicle crash on Auckland's Southwestern Motorway yesterday.

The vehicle crashed in the south-bound lanes between Bader Rd and Massey Rd shortly before 10pm, Senior Sergeant Matt Rogers, of police northern communications, said.

Three others also suffered serious injuries.

Mr Rogers said anyone with information about the crash should contact police immediately.

- NZPA