Horror night on roads: Six dead in early morning crashes in North, South Island

It’s been a fatal morning on Aotearoa’s roads after two people died following a crash on the Waikato Expressway, three others near Canterbury’s Geraldine and another in Dargaville. 

Two people are dead after a head-on crash between two vehicles on the Waikato Expressway on Monday morning. 

A police spokesperson said the two cars collided just after 4am, where police say it appears “one of the cars was travelling the wrong way”. 

“Sadly the drivers of both cars died at the scene.”

Police warn the road is expected to remain closed for “several hours” with diversions in place. 

It comes after three people died after a crash near Canterbury’s Geraldine where a campervan collided with a barrier and caught fire. 

In a statement, a police spokesperson confirmed three people had died following a crash on Te Moana Rd near Geraldine. 

The spokesperson said police responded to the crash just after 1am on Monday, after a campervan collided with a barrier and caught fire. 

“Tragically all three occupants of the campervan were killed.”

The fatal crash has forced the closure of Te Moana Rd while the Serious Crash Unit is at the scene.