Four people are dead following crashes on the road this holiday period - less than two days since the official holiday toll began.
One person died in a crash in central Hawke's Bay this morning, hours after another fatal crash in Hanmer Springs.
Emergency services were notified at 5.35am that a van had rolled down a bank on Pourerere Rd, police said.
The passenger died at the scene and the driver has minor injuries.
Pourerere Rd is closed near the intersection of Clareinch Road while the Serious Crash Unit examines the scene.
The road was expected to remain closed for a couple of hours.
Police thanked motorists in advance for their patience.
The driver of a car is also dead and their passenger seriously injured after a crash in Hanmer Springs overnight.
The single-vehicle crash happened about 12.40am on Jollies Pass Rd when the car collided with a tree, police said.
The driver died at the scene and a passenger was transported to hospital by helicopter.
The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.
Four people have now died on the road this Christmas holiday road toll period, which began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on January 3.
Taxi driver Abdul Raheem Fahad Syed (29), who was killed in Auckland early yesterday, was the first to die within the road toll period, and another person died in a crash in Northland about 5.45pm yesterday.
