Three die in crashes on roads

Police officers inspect the scene of the fatal crash on SH12 at Maramarua yesterday. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A father and young daughter, whose car hit a tractor, and a motorcyclist who collided with a truck, all died on New Zealand roads yesterday.

The motorcyclist was killed instantly when he lost control of his vehicle and slid into the path of a truck on State Highway 2 near Maramarua, south of Auckland yesterday afternoon.

Shoes and personal belongings were strewn across the crash scene on a stretch of road dubbed the Unforgiving Highway.

Police said the surface had been made slick by heavy rain and oil spills after a long dry spell.

Officers found a British passport at the scene but could not confirm whether the man was a resident or a tourist. The driver of the truck, a 38-year-old man from Manurewa, was shaken but unhurt.

Another motorcyclist had been involved in a minor accident at the same intersection just minutes before.

Witnesses told the Herald on Sunday there were "bits of bike" everywhere.

"It was just a big crumpled heap under the truck and scattered around the road," said one.

Meanwhile, a 49-year-old father and his 4-year-old daughter were killed when their car crashed into the side of a tractor towing a combine harvester in Feilding. Although the tractor rolled into a ditch the occupant suffered only minor injuries.

The road remained closed while the Serious Crash Unit investigated.

Speed or alcohol were not to blame, said senior sergeant Nigel Allan. The car appeared to have crossed into the path of the oncoming tractor on the bend.

Shane Wareham lives nearby on Awahuri Rd and ran to the crash site after hearing a "horrible, grunting metal sound".

"The wheels were all twisted on it and the car was a real mess. I didn't go too close to see the people."

Firefighters spent three hours freeing the bodies from the mangled wreckage, said Feilding deputy fire officer Graeme Spiers.

The tragedy was the second fatality involving a child in Feilding in the past fortnight.

Names of the three dead would be released once next of kin were notified.

Meanwhile, two patients were flown to Auckland Hospital with serious injuries after a three-car pile-up in the Dome Valley, north of Warkworth yesterday morning.

A 71-year-old woman suffered chest and ankle injuries and a man in his 30s suffered chest injuries.

Three other motorists had minor injuries and were treated at a medical centre.

And traffic travelling between Taupo and Turangi was diverted as emergency services dealt with exploding gas cylinders following a truck roll.

The truck overturned at 10am, causing its flammable load, including turpentine and gas cylinders, to roll. There were no reported injuries.