State Highway 1 in Northland has since reopened after an earlier crash which has left one person with serious injuries.
Traffic was backed up in both directions near Topuni, about 6km from Kaiwaka, in the Kaipara District.
Fire and Emergency were alerted to the crash at 6.28pm. Police also attended the crash and a rescue helicopter was seen landing at the site.
One person has serious injuries.
Motorist Tony Johnson and his partner were forced to wait for the road to reopen while towing two horses in a float. Johnson said they were let through about 9pm.
Johnson said they had a front-row seat of the helicopter landing on the road, and were only 10 minutes from their destination when they were held up,
“Horses made it to safety thankfully,” Johnson said. “We had them in a float but had to take them out because we’d been waiting so long so they could eat. They were starting to get anxious standing in the float for so long.”
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.