Picton crash: Three generations killed, friend reveals family's last hours before fateful drive

The driver of a van that collided head-on with a truck, killing seven of the nine people onboard, is among the dead, police have confirmed.

The horrific crash occurred yesterday morning just south of Picton on State Highway 1 and has sent shock waves through the small community.

Images of the crash scene show the van, which was heading towards Picton, was completely destroyed by the impact.

Inspector Simon Feltham, Marlborough police area commander, said an investigation into the crash was progressing.

"Police can confirm that one of the deceased was the driver of the van at the time of the crash.

"As such, the matter will be referred to the Coroner in due course.

"Police's focus remains on gathering information to assist the Coroner, and on supporting the victims in this crash and our first responders."

The two survivors from the van remain in Wellington Hospital, one in serious condition and one in a serious but stable condition.

Meanwhile, a friend of the seven people who died has spoken of spending the night with them in Christchurch before they made the fateful drive to return home.

"You spend every spare moment thinking of the what-ifs and the whys," said Bill, who contacted Newstalk ZB this morning.

Three generations of the Auckland family, which includes members of the Filipino community, died in the crash. Bill revealed what they did when they came to stay with him on Saturday night.

"They spent some of their last hours on earth with me on Saturday night, Sunday morning," Bill told Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings host John MacDonald.

"This was a vibrant family - my friend was a high school teacher ... his wife started an online business and he was really proud of her.

"They had four boys and girls ... One of the boys had married a Taiwanese young lady and it was their baby that died.

"I was really taken with this young woman, she was so nice and it really hits home at my heart that she's gone and the baby's gone.

"Her husband survived … he's going to wake up and find that he's now alone."

'This is really a terrible and shocking news for the community'

Romy Udanga, an Auckland Filipino community leader, said he was shocked to learn that most of those killed in the crash were members of the community.

Udanga said members of the community in Wellington were on standby to help the two survivors - a man and a teenager - in Wellington Hospital.

"This is really a terrible and shocking news for the community, and all our thoughts are with the families and those affected," Udanga said.

"It really also serves as a wake-up call for others in the community to be extra careful on the roads this long weekend."

Matilde Figuracion, a Filipino living in Wellington, was meant to have travelled on the same ferry as those involved in the crash.

"The crash happened just minutes before us, and the roads were closed when we reached the Picton area. I was in shock when I heard what happened," she said.

"When I heard they are Filipino, I told the nurses in Wellington Hospital that I am here if they needed any help."

Emilie Shi, a former consul general of the Philippines, said the bodies of the deceased have been transferred to Christchurch.

"The consul general in Christchurch is assisting with the matter, I understand," Shi said.

The Herald understands that staff from the Philippines Embassy are assisting police with the investigations.

The family were returning home to the North Island after attending a loved one's funeral in Gore when the Toyota Hiace van they were travelling in collided head-on with a refrigerated truck on Sunday.

The aftermath of the crash. Photo / George Heard

There were nine people in the van and tragically seven of them, including an infant, were killed "in the blink of an eye" after their van appeared to cross the centreline on State Highway 1 south of Picton about 7.30am.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Bill said the family stayed with him in Rolleston, outside Christchurch, before heading north to get on the ferry from Picton to Wellington.

They had travelled up from Gore and had been taking turns behind the wheel.

Bill said his friend told him he was really proud of his sons for their safe driving efforts.

He said the family were based in Pukekohe but have family in the Philippines and Taiwan, who would be reeling from the shock of the crash.

"We met in 2015 and him and I attended the same church and that's how I met him," Bill said.

The family arrived just before 10pm.

"They came in, they'd eaten so I made coffee and tea," said Bill.

"My friend and I just chatted, we hadn't seen each other for four years, and the rest of the family just entertained themselves.

"Some slept - the guy that was driving when they left had a couple of hours sleep.

"One of the lads played a computer game and didn't bother to sleep but all the rest except for my friend snoozed a bit.

"They were just comfortable, they had pillows and blankets.

"I'd suggested why don't you stay and have more sleep and my friend said no we'll be okay we'll just slowly make our way up to Picton and get maybe have a couple of hours sleep when we get there while we wait for the ferry.

Scene of the crash where a van hit a truck on State Highway 1 south of Picton. Photo / George Heard

"So they left and I went to bed and never thought any more about it.

"They were at my place for over four hours so they did actually have quite a break."

They left his house at about 2.30am.

But he didn't believe that they were in a rush. They wanted to take their time and rest before getting the ferry, he said.

Bill planned to send his mate a message on Sunday to see how the trip went.

At 5pm he was out driving and heard the news about the crash.

"At the first opportunity sent a text saying how's the trip going - but there was no response," he said.

"At 6pm I started to make inquiries."

He said his friend's wife's sister was also with the group.

"When you hear about just a group of people who had an unfortunate ending it's just cold - I'd like people to know this was a real-life family with hopes and dreams," he said.

Bill did not know who was driving when the van crashed.

"I can only imagine that there was a moment where fatigue came in ... certainly there was no alcohol involved.

He said his friend had another daughter with his first wife.

"She's now without her dad," he lamented.

"My friend was a high school teacher, his students are finding out now that he's not coming back ..."

Bill said he and his mate talked about "everything" while he was in Rolleston.

"He sort of joked that I'd saved him more than $300 on a motel when he was at my house, he'd thought about it and decided not to."

He is haunted by the deaths, which he said were a reminder of "how fragile life is".

"I wander round a bit and remember every moment, pretty much," he said.

"I can still feel his hand in mine when we shook hands when he left ... the chair he sat in I've touched a few times this morning.

"I really just wanted to tell people that these were real folks, it's going to be a huge shock ...."