A power line is lying across a Northland road and traffic is down to one lane after a car smashed into a power pole this morning.

A tourist driver who lost control on an icy road and caused a crash that killed his front-seat passenger has today been forgiven by the dead woman's family.

Police said it appeared the elderly driver was surprised by an approaching vehicle and took evasive action while travelling towards Napier.

A crash has blocked the right lane of the Southern Motorway and is causing delays.

The New Zealand Transport Agency said State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo was closed until further notice.

A wire-rope barrier on a busy, scenic stretch of road north of Wellington responsible for stopping deadly head-on crashes.

One of the four men killed in a car crash on Muriwai Beach was the sole provider for his family, friends say.

Three of the four victims of the beach crash at Muriwai yesterday were working at Queens Academic Group in Auckland and the fourth was a friend of theirs.

Three of the four victims understood to be employees of an international academy in Auckland.

One person was killed and six others were injured in a crash in Waikato tonight.

A 4-wheel-drive came off the road at an intersection - plunging down into the backyard of a home, narrowly missing the kitchen window.

A woman who crashed her vehicle into a house in Huntly this morning has been charged with dangerous driving and excessive breath alcohol.

A train and car have collided this afternoon, leaving one person trapped in the car and seriously injured.

A cameraman at the scene understood school students were in the car and two occupants were trapped until firefighters arrived.

Around 100 people have no power this morning after a car hit a power pole in Auckland.

Police have named the truck driver who died after his truck plunged off a Canterbury bridge yesterday.

Three more people have died on the country's roads as this year's road toll continues to climb.

A serious collision between a car and truck has forced State Highway 1 to close through Te Horo, south of Otaki.

A woman who died in a car crash on the Haast Pass yesterday morning has been named by police.

Four people were injured in the two-car crash on State Highway 16, at Kumeu yesterday afternoon.

A person has suffered minor injuries after a crash involving a bus and a van.

Cyclist David Keys, who was left a quadriplegic after riding into a sinkhole, back home with the dog that helped save his life.

Dylan Chad was sentenced to 150 hours community work, six months supervision and another six months disqualification from driving.

A woman has died in a car crash on wintry roads in the Haast Pass this morning.

Police have praised the actions of members of the public who rushed to the aid of an Oamaru teenager hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing on State Highway 1 yesterday.

One person is trapped inside a vehicle at Christchurch's Sockburn roundabout.

A car has flipped on State Highway 1 in Northland, leaving one person injured.

A teenage driver has died after a crash with a logging truck in rush-hour Christchurch traffic yesterday.

The crash reportedly happened when a car slid down a cliff in the Coromandel.

A police patrol car has crashed into a lamp post in Hamilton.