Road shut after Christmas car crash

One person has been critically injured and two others seriously hurt in a Christmas Day crash in Ngongotaha.

Emergency services were called to the two-car crash near Ogo on Ngongotaha Rd about 4.30pm.

The driver of one car was trapped and taken to Rotorua Hospital with critical injuries.

The front-seat passenger of the same car suffered serious injuries.

The sole occupant of the other caralso suffered a serious arm injury.

The road was closed for about two hours, with Ngongotaha-bound traffic turned back at Rainbow Springs.

Queues of traffic were backed up just after 6pm when one of the cars was removed by a tow truck.

The cars, both sedans, had sustained damage to their front while the roof had been cut off one.

Yesterday's crash followed a busy Christmas Eve for emergency services around the region and the country.

One person was flown to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition after a two-car crash at Hatepe, between Turangi and Taupo, about 3.15pm on Thursday.

About 4.30pm, three vehicles were involved in a crash near the intersection of Ohaaki Rd and Te Toke Rd, about 20km northeast of Taupo.

Five people were injured, and one was left in a critical condition.

At about 6pm police issued a statement urging the public to slow down and drive to the conditions after a spate of more than 50 crashes nationwide in the space of just a few hours.