Woman who died after car rolled onto her tent at Tokerau Beach named by police

A woman died after an incident on the Far North's Karikari Peninsula. Photo / Google

Police have named the woman who died after a free-rolling car crashed through her tent on New Year's Day at Tokerau Beach as Natasha Michelle Roys.

The 42-year-old from Whangarei died after the parked vehicle started to roll down a hill and into her tent at the beach on the Far North's Karikari Peninsula.

Emergency services first received calls about the incident around 7.40am on January 1, with the incident believed to have occurred sometime after 2am.

The four-wheel-drive vehicle was parked atop a small rise but rolled down the hill overnight, killing Roys before smashing into a fence.

Senior Sergeant Ian Row, of Northland police, said it was a ''very, very horrifically unfortunate accident''.

''I don't usually use the word accident but this one was. For some reason the handbrake seems to have failed.''

The vehicle had been examined to determine whether the handbrake had a mechanical fault.

The Karikari Peninsula is on the east coast of the Far North, between Rangaunu Harbour to the west, and Doubtless Bay to the southeast. It is about 44km northeast of Kaitaia.

The police investigation was complete and it was now a matter for the Coroner, Row said.

Sympathies of the police were passed on to Roys' family and friends via a statement this afternoon.