Teen dies in Rotorua smash

A Rotorua teenage girl has been killed in a car crash on State Highway 5 near Rotorua.
The car the 18-year-old was driving hit a power pole next to the Lake View Golf Course just  north of Rotorua  at 9.55pm on Friday night.
The car crossed the centre line and left the road before crashing into a concrete power pole, Sergeant Pauline Jones said.
The 18-year-old driver died at the scene, while the front seat passenger was taken to hospital with head injuries.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
 
Meanwhile, a 19 year old man died after the car he was a sole passenger in crashed into a tree on the side of a road in Maraetai early on Friday. He was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene of the crash.
The driver of the car was a male aged 19-20 years. He was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
The crash occurred at 12:55am on Maraetai Drive and the car was a white Toyota. No other vehicles appeared to have been involved.
And a motorcyclist was killed at about 7am when a motorbike and car collided in Penrose.