Rain wreaks havoc across country

As rain covered many parts of the country, a series of tragic accidents took place on roads over the weekend.

Yesterday, two Wellington men in their 20s - heading away for a weekend on the snow - died when their car collided with a truck on Koputaroa Road, north of Levin.

On Friday night a motorcyclist collided with a parked car on SH12 near Paparoa, in Northland. The motorcyclist died at the scene.

A truck rolled in the Waioeka Gorge, about 17km from Opotiki, killing the driver. The gorge was closed for several hours.

A woman died at the scene of an accident about 4km north of Palmerston, near Dunedin. The crash involved a car travelling north and a light truck travelling south. The woman was the sole occupant of the car and was dead when emergency services arrived. She was Tautatao Taiti, 46, of Oamaru.

Meanwhile, a train struck and killed a pedestrian standing on the tracks near Otahuhu Railway Station in Auckland. The person died at the scene. A similar incident occurred near the Hamilton railway station at 4.30am on Saturday when Jaye Evan Smith, 44, of Hamilton died.