A 29-year-old Dutch national, who had been living in Westport for three months, was killed when her car and a light truck collided north of Greymouth this morning.
Greymouth police named her as Helene Roosen.
According to her on-line travel blog, Ms Roosen left Holland in 2007 to travel the world, arriving in Westport in August.
She was applying for New Zealand residency, the Greymouth Star reported.
It appeared Ms Roosen had lost control of her vehicle about 8.20am as she rounded a moderate bend on State Highway 6 at Rapahoe, Senior Sergeant Allyson Ealam of Greymouth police said.
Her car collided head-on with a northbound truck.
It was a "full frontal" impact crash. Ms Roosen suffered massive head and internal injuries, and died at the scene.
The truck driver was badly shaken and was treated at the scene for shock, before being taken by ambulance to Grey Base Hospital.