Police eye role of alcohol, tyres in crash

The deaths occurred on a notorious stretch of State Highway 2 at Maramarua. Photo / NZPA

Police will today begin an investigation into whether alcohol or bad tyres were factors in a crash that killed three teenagers on a notoriously dangerous stretch of State Highway 2.

Te Maungarongo Kingi, his cousin Mary Jane Te Purei and their friend Tiata Maxwell - all 18, of Gisborne - suffered fatal injuries when the Ford Probe they were in slid and T-boned an eastbound Ford Courier ute at Maramarua on Tuesday night.

The trio, who were on their way to collect some of Miss Maxwell's clothes in Auckland, died at the scene, a moderate 85km/h corner between the Pink Pig cafe and the Maramarua garage, as passers-by, volunteer firefighters and St John's paramedics tried to help.

The ute driver, from Rotorua, was flown to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital, where last night he was in a stable condition.

Skella Campbell, Mr Kingi's aunt and grandmother to Miss Te Purei, said she received a phone call from her daughter shortly after midnight yesterday telling her Miss Te Purei had died.

"Not long after, a police officer came up my driveway and I said, 'Is this about Mary Jane?' and they said 'No, do you know Te Maungarongo Kingi?'

"To have lost my granddaughter was devastating, but the both of them? You can't imagine."

She said Te Maungarongo was "her boy", a gentle soul who was well-mannered and polite.

A talented singer and fluent Maori speaker, he had been looking forward to turning 18 so he could sing ballads with Mrs Campbell, who runs a karaoke business at Gisborne's Turanga Hotel every Saturday.

"The moment he turned 18 he was at the door waiting to get in," she said.

Mr Kingi worked for the Gisborne District Council and had planned to move to Australia.

Miss Te Purei was a business student at Matapuna Training Centre in Gisborne. The Gisborne Herald reported the centre had cancelled its celebrations for World Literacy Day yesterday because of the tragedy.

The centre's chief executive, Hana Hohapata, described Miss Te Purei as happy and well-liked by her peers.

Mrs Campbell said her granddaughter always left an impression.

"If you met her you would never forget her ... What you saw was what you got. She was straight to the point and yet she was a good kid.

"She was a free spirit."

Mrs Campbell said preparations were last night under way at Waihirere marae on the outskirts of Gisborne for Mr Kingi and Miss Te Purei's tangi.

Among the first on the accident scene was Maramarua fire brigade chief fire officer Howard Cole.

Although the road has claimed 31 lives and seriously injured more than 56 people since 2003, Mr Cole believed increased signage, better roads and better driver attitudes meant things were improving.

The Waikato serious crash unit will today continue its scene investigation.

It will also look into whether the driver had been drinking, as well as the condition of the tyres on the car.