One person was critically injured in the crash, which happened on State Highway 3, south of Hamilton. Photo / File
A main road south of Hamilton remains closed after a serious crash this evening, which left a motorist in a critical condition.
The patient has been rushed to Tauranga Hospital after the crash, which happened on Ohaupo Rd, on State Highway 3.
A police spokeswoman said police attended the scene around 2.30pm, to find a car had rolled.
The single occupant of the car had sustained critical injuries.
Ohaupo Rd was closed near Ingram Rd shortly after and remained closed.
A police spokeswoman said it would likely reopen in the next hour or two.
The crash was one of several incidents on North Island roads this evening.
One person was trapped in a car after a crash in Waikato and has suffered serious injuries.
Two cars collided on SH1 in Piarere, between SH29 and Horahora Rd this afternoon.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said it was called at 3.20pm and that four fire engines attended the scene.
Two people were also rushed to hospital with moderate injuries after a light plane crashed into a paddock in Waihi.
A St John ambulance crew rushed to the scene on Tauranga Rd in Waihi, near State Highway 2, around 3.30pm.
Medical staff had two ambulances at the scene treating the two patients.
The handful of crashes come ahead of Easter Weekend - which is expected to be an incredibly busy period on our roads.
The New Zealand Transport Agency is urging motorists heading away for Easter to plan ahead to avoid delays on the roads.
The agency has created maps to show the expected peak holiday traffic times to help motorists decide the best time to travel to avoid queues.
The maps show the busiest times based on previous years' travel patterns.
State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Range to Waikato, State Highway 2 between Paeroa and Waihi and State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati have been identified as traffic hotspots.
New Zealand Transport Agency senior journey manager Neil Walker said: "We know we'll see large numbers of people heading off to their usual holiday destinations and that makes queues and delays inevitable at the most popular times."
"If everyone plans their travel in advance, and thinks about how they can travel outside the busiest periods it will help reduce congestion, delays and stress and that will make it a safer and more enjoyable journey for everyone.
"The hotspot predictions have proved really popular in helping people make informed decisions about when to travel, but predicted peak times can change on the day because of incidents, changing weather and even driver behaviour. So keep up to date with real-time travel information."
As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2024.