Man killed in high-speed crash not wearing seatbelt - police

File photo / Martin Sykes

A man who died when his car smashed into two trees at high speed in south Auckland on Saturday was not wearing a seatbelt, police say.

A passerby driving home from work found the wrecked ute about 5.15pm on Ihumatao Road, in a rural area of Mangere about 1km from the airport.

The driver, a 24-year-old south Auckland man, was already dead when emergency services arrived, Sergeant Paul Latham, officer in charge of the Counties Manukau serious crash unit, said.

He had severe head injuries but may well have suffered internal injuries due to the nature of the crash, he said.

It appeared the first impact was with a tree on the passenger's side before the car hit an embankment, spun around and hit another tree on the driver's side.

The man had not been wearing a seatbelt, Mr Latham said.

He was the only person to die on the roads over the weekend, though there was another death after the weekend period, at 7,47am today, when a car hit a ute on a rural Waikato road.

The southbound car was attempting a passing manoeuvre near a bridge on Gillard Rd in Ngahinapouri, about 18km south of Hamilton, when it collided with the southbound ute's right side.

Waikato police spokesman Andrew McAlley said the ute crashed through a paddock fence and came to rest on its side in the creek, while the car flew over the creek and crashed.

The car's driver died, while the ute's driver was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

- NZPA