A man killed in the Carterton balloon crash had been relishing life after receiving news he was clear of cancer only weeks before the fatal trip, an inquest has been told.

A young couple who jumped from a burning hot air balloon basket had their whole lives ahead of them and thought the pilot they were flying with was the "safest" in NZ.

State Highway 1 near Warkworth will be closed from 7.30pm to remove wreckage of a large truck that crashed earlier today south of Pohuehue.

A witness has described hearing a balloon pilot tell passengers to "duck down" before screams of panic were heard from the basket.

A man who worked with the pilot found to have cannabis in his system after his hot air balloon crashed in Carterton, killing 10, had no idea he smoked cannabis.

The passenger who walked away from a fatal Ferrari crash on Sunday had been looking forward to a ride in his "dream car".

A mother who was driving with her 3-year-old child in the back was reading a text message before she lost control of the vehicle, which flipped and crashed into a ditch.

The passenger who walked away unscathed from a fatal Ferrari crash on Sunday had been looking forward to a ride in his "dream car''.

A 61-year-old Napier car enthusiast, husband and father, killed when his Ferrari crashed, built a career in swimming pools, including several at Sea World.

The daughter of a woman who died during an emergency callout did not know for months of problems with the equipment.

A Ferrari driver who died yesterday after hitting a wall on a race track was estimated to have been driving at 190km/h at the time.

The daughter of a couple who died in the Carterton balloon tragedy has told a Coronial inquest of watching the balloon catch fire before it plummeted to the ground.

More than two years after a ballooning accident claimed the lives of their loved ones, relatives are reliving the details of the ill-fated day at a coroner's inquest.

A gruelling week lies ahead for families of the Carterton hot air balloon crash victims as they again hear evidence of how their loved ones died.

A woman injured when the car she was driving toppled from a car park building in Christchurch has now been released from Christchurch Hospital.

A Mother's Day lunch today will double as a fundraiser for two children who survived a car crash that claimed the life of their mum.

Blade Nathan-Burdett looks around his Whenuapai home. It's a drizzly day, and there's not much to smile about.

A string of hunting accidents is proof New Zealand's firearms laws need to be reviewed, a leading gun control advocate says.

Auckland motorists are being urged to avoid the Ash Street area of Avondale in Auckland after a car hit a tree.

The father of two preschoolers badly injured in a crash that killed their mother wants to start a campaign to stop people texting while driving.

The wife of a New Zealander missing on Malaysia Airlines MH370 is spearheading a new victims' group pushing authorities to "share and release" information about the ill-fated flight

The death of a talented Australian tennis coach, who disappeared in Hamilton late last year and was found drowned in the Waikato River, was accidental, a coroner has ruled.

Garth Barfoot has waived $11,000 in reparation a court ordered the woman who knocked him off his bicycle to pay him.

An experienced lineman had isolated the wrong line then lied to his employer prior to his death about carrying out proper safety checks, an inquest has heard.

The partner of a man who drowned at a beach known for its unpredictable conditions says a local motel owner told the family it was safe, new coroner's findings reveal.

A 15-year-old Northland boy died after succumbing to fatal injuries he sustained during an "absolute chance'' BMX accident, a coroner has found.