Three killed in weekend crashes

Three people have died on the roads so far this weekend.

One person died in a two-car crash north of Auckland late this afternoon.

The head-on collision happened about 4.40pm on State Highway 1 in Dome Valley near Wellsford, 114km northwest of Auckland.

Three people received non-lifethreatening injuries in the crash, which occurred in wet weather.

"Weather was a factor, but it comes down to driver error," Inspector Ben Offner said.

SH1 was to remain closed until after 8pm.

Just before 1.30am yesterday, a 22-year-old man from Waimauku died when his car left the road and smashed into a power pole in west Auckland.

The man was the only occupant of the car when it left Waitakere Rd and hit the power pole. The impact brought down the pole and cut power to the area. His name has not been released.

About an hour later, a man died in the Far North in similar circumstances.

Brent Maurice O'Connor, 40, of Kaitaia appeared to have lost control on a corner on State Highway 10 near Kaingaroa, 15km north-east of Kaitaia, and his car struck a power pole, police said.

- NZPA