Head-on crash near Thames kills two women

Two women who died in a head-on collision in Waikato this morning were a New Zealander and an Australian, police have confirmed.

State Highway 25 has now reopened following the crash near Thames, at the intersection with Pipiroa Rd, between Waitakaruru and Kopu.

A Thames-bound Mazda Demio and a Volkswagen Passat travelling north collided about 7.45am, with the two women in the Mazda dying from their injuries.

Police earlier said it was believed both women were Australian, however, in an updated statement police said it had been established that one of the women was a New Zealand national, and the other was Australian.

Work to formally identify the women and notify their families was underway, police said.

Earlier, Sergeant Dave Reid of the Waikato district command centre said it was not yet known what caused the smash.

"The serious crash unit is on site and currently working to establish the cause of what has occurred so it would be premature to speculate at this time."

Mr Reid said the woman driving the Passat, its sole occupant, was freed by firefighters and airlifted to hospital by helicopter in a serious to critical condition.

The busy rural highway, which links Coromandel to Auckland, was closed and diversions put in place at the intersections of SH25 and Bush Rd, and SH25 and Pipiroa Rd.

It has now been reopened, following a lengthy extraction phase which police said "took some time".