Three people died following a crash on Masters Road, near Waiuku, on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
The three people killed in the crash on a notorious Waikato road were a woman and two children.
They died on Tuesday when the car they were in left Masters Road, near Waiuku and landed in a nearby creek.
Counties Manukau South Area Commander Inspector Jared Pirret said all three occupants were found deceased at the scene.
"This incident will impact the tight-knit community in Waiuku, and I know people's thoughts are with the families caught up in this event."
He acknowledged local staff who arrived at what he said was a very confronting scene. "All emergency services deployed to the scene and worked together to carry out a rescue operation, and we acknowledge their professionalism."
Police confirmed those who died were an adult and two children.
In a statement on Wednesday, police said that the grieving families had said they were coming to terms with this life-altering event and did not wish to make any further comment at this stage.
Police said they were receiving an overwhelming amount of contact from media, extended family and well-wishers but said the family would like privacy at this difficult time.
The local community is said to be devastated after the deaths on the road locally known as 'The Rollercoaster'.
Billy McLean was in his workshop on Masters Road when he heard an impact that sounded like a car going off the road.
"It's not the first time I've heard it. It's not the first time it's happened here.
"I knew what it was straight away and just ran straight down there to find the car upside down in the ditch, unfortunately."
McLean, a conservation arborist, said the ditch was a deep culvert located in a dip at the bottom of a hill with wetlands on either side.
"I tried my best to get them out and there was absolutely no way that that car was going to open.
"There's not much anyone could have done.
"Being pinned upside down in mud that was so deep. It was like, a little bit of the bottom of the door and the chassis and the wheels exposed and the rest of the whole vehicle in mud.
"There's not a hundred gorillas that could have torn the doors off that car ... I tried. I tried my best but I'm not a hundred gorillas either."
McLean raced back up his driveway to call 111.
He said police were first on the scene within minutes and also tried and failed to get into the SUV. After that the Waiuku Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived.
Emergency services at the scene of the Masters Road crash. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
McLean said the chassis on the SUV was bent and he believes the car hit the culvert at his driveway and became airborne.
The 80 kilometre an hour road is an alternative route to get to Pukekohe and the crash happened at 3.30pm between Waiuku and Kidd roads.
McLean said it had been raining but had stopped by the time he heard the impact.
He said it was the second time in as many years there had been a fatal crash on the road, the first one killing his best mate of 40 years and father-of-six Daniel Dalgety in August 2023.
In that crash, McLean said the car Dalgety was a passenger in hit a tree and he was again first on the scene to discover his friend's death.
Since then he had been scared for his own family's safety when using the road.
"Honestly I fear that, every time I pull out of this driveway with my family now."
He said he was considering selling his home and he wanted action from road authorities.
"Do something. Do something ... If they could start focusing those speed cameras on actual known death-trap sites, instead of some random corner or at the bottom of a pretty safe downhill where they're just getting as much revenue as they can.
"Could they please put those cameras where it would save people's lives instead of just collecting their tax.
"That would be a great start. This place here would be a good start."
He described the area where Tuesday's crash happened as being akin to an "old-school BMX jump".
"It's been known for years out here as 'The Rollercoaster Road'."
Billy McLean says the stretch of road is a known hazard. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Neighbour and resident on the road for four decades, Jonathan Kuttner, also referred to Masters Road as a death-trap and said he had been to a dozen crashes since the road was straightened many years ago.
Kuttner, a former GP, said there was a dangerous dip and bend in the road where speeding cars could fly off and land in a bog.
He said he had raised concerns with various authorities over the years and was also calling for a speed camera on the road.
Kuttner said drivers often used the road to speed and he had been privy to many serious crashes and a number of close calls near his home.
It was so dangerous he would only turn left out of his driveway, he said.
Franklin ward councillor Andy Baker said he was aware the "well-used back road" could be dangerous but said it fell within the Waikato boundary.
He said Waiuku, a rural town of about 6000 people, would be heavily impacted by the tragedy.
"Everyone knows everyone. The whole town will just be reeling, no matter who it is. There'll be so many different parts of the community affected by it. It's a terrible thing."
Tremayne Thompson, a volunteer first responder, was among the first at the scene and said accidents and near misses were "very common" on the road.
"It so narrow that you almost have head-on collisions on a very regular basis," he told Morning Report.
He said moving speed cameras to the area was needed, along with resurfacing the road which was shaded and often had moss on it.
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