Two occupants of a car were seriously injured when their vehicle and a truck collided overnight.
The crash happened on State Highway 1 near Taihape, just after midnight, central police communications acting shift commander Mark Oliver said.
The driver, who had to be cut from the vehicle suffered serious injuries.
The passenger, who was thrown from the car and found 10m down a bank, suffered moderate injuries, Mr Oliver said.
"That person was very lucky not to have been hurt more," he said.
