Fatal car crash near Gisborne

The Queen's Birthday holiday weekend has its first road fatality after a woman died following a crash near Tokomaru Bay north of Gisborne today.

The single vehicle crash happened on Beach Rd just before 6am, police said.

A female passenger in the car appeared to have been thrown from the vehicle during the crash. She died at the scene, police said.

The driver, in his mid-twenties, was being spoken to by police.

Further details will not be released until next of kin have been spoken to.

Police said it appeared the Subaru car left the coastal road and crashed over a small bank ending up on a beach area.

It wasn't clear what caused the crash.

Last year's holiday weekend toll was 10.

- NZPA