Kerikeri fatal crash occurred on one-way bridge

A head-on crash that claimed a life in the Bay of Islands on Saturday night occurred on a one-way bridge on the outskirts of Kerikeri.

Emergency services were called to the bridge on Kerikeri Inlet Road around 8.30pm.

One person died at the scene and is understood to be a local man aged in his 40s.

A Northern Rescue helicopter was sent to the crash scene but returned to base after the man was pronounced dead.

St John Ambulance said a second person was transported to Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa in a moderate condition.

A police spokesperson said a ute and a people-mover had collided on the bridge head-on.

Kerikeri Fire Brigade responded with two fire trucks and a support van, and cut off a door of the people-mover to allow access for medics.

The volunteer firefighters returned to the station about 12.30am.

The crash blocked the bridge, leaving residents further east on Kerikeri Inlet Road and Wharau Road unable to reach their homes.

Kerikeri Inlet Road was closed at Reinga Road until about 1am on Sunday morning.

Police said a Serious Crash Unit investigator examined the scene overnight, and enquiries into the cause of the crash were ongoing.

An RNZ reporter said skid marks were clearly visible from one end of the bridge to the other where one of the drivers had tried to stop.

There was minor damage to one guardrail, grit on the road where firefighters had cleaned up a spill, and a strong smell of fuel in the air.