A man has died in one of two serious truck crashes that have closed roads in Timaru and Taranaki this morning.

Traffic near the Puhoi tunnel on State Highway 1 is back to normal.

Emergency services were called to the crash at the intersection of Lenore and Gadsby roads in Favona about 9.20pm.

Holiday traffic remains heavy and is clogging the roads ahead of the long weekend, with crashes, roadworks and a car fire adding to the mayhem.

People are dying at Auckland's worst intersections - and the council and police are working together to stop the carnage.

With two consecutive long weekends approaching for some Kiwis, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is urging travellers to plan their journeys.

A trial for a 15-seat autonomous shuttle is about to start at Christchurch Airport.

KE240117NADWASHERS1.JPG: Colourful window washers at the intersections of Kamo Rd and Western Hills Dr. PHOTO/NZME KE240117NADWASHERS3.JPG:

A tree has fallen and power lines are down on Queenstown-Glenorchy Rd, leaving the road blocked in both directions.

The weather gods delivered a king-hit of heavy rains and high winds over the country yesterday, causing flash flooding and closing off roads due to slips.

It took about two hours to convince authorities something was wrong after the first calls that an avalanche buried a four-star spa hotel in central Italy, leaving at least 30 people missing.

Amazing pictures show a massive slip blocking a major South Island route as wild weather wreaked havoc on the West Coast today.

See which region isn't afraid to whinge when they've had a gutsful with roadworks.

NZTA is prioritising clearing Lewis Pass, the main transport link between Picton and Christchurch since November's big earthquake.

Idiot throwing nails onto highway could face serious charges, warn police.

COMMENT: Want to know why the road toll is higher than it should be? Bernadine Oliver-Kerby says she knows the answer.

What happens when a town triples in size overnight? Made with funding from NZ On Air.

A safety report has revealed what Kiwis fear the most.

A car and a freight train have collided at Matamata in Waikato.

Two days ago the base ingredient for shampoo spilled on the road. This morning, it rained.

Parked car no problem for this Hamilton contracting crew who found a simple solution to their road block.

Temperatures in the 30s this week mean more work for Quality Roading Services (QRS) routine maintenance manager Gary Jones. He said

Too many people are dying in road crashes because they don't put on their seatbelts, say police.

One man had serious injuries and had to be airlifted to hospital.

The ride-hailing giant Uber is extending an olive branch to cities - in the form of data that drivers have coveted for years.

Auckland commuters can groan in agreement with a report that reveals the city has the worst travel times and reliability in Australia and New Zealand.

When the official holiday period finished at 6am yesterday there had been 15 fatal crashes on New Zealand roads since the Friday before Christmas.

A beautician paid a stranger to take her speeding points for $530 also posted pictures of dangerous driving selfies on Facebook.

Readers discussing the holiday toll have suggested the solutions lie in law improvement rather than law enforcement.

A wife who found her husband with a younger woman has been accused of ramming his van off the road before smashing into his lover's vehicle too.