The Serious Crash Unit is investigating a two-vehicle crash in the Kawarau Gorge that killed one person on Friday afternoon and left the main road between Cromwell and Queenstown closed late into the night.
Police said they were called at about 3.10pm on Friday 30 October to State Highway 6 just east of the Cardrona-Roaring Meg Pack Track turn-off, a little east of the Roaring Meg power station, towards Cromwell. At about 5.40pm they confirmed one person had died at the scene.
Hato Hone St John said it was notified a minute after the crash and sent two helicopters and an ambulance. One person with minor injuries was taken by road to Lakes District Hospital in Frankton, according to the Otago Daily Times.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi closed the highway between Crown Range Road and Pearson Road while the Serious Crash Unit worked at the site. The detour ran over the Crown Range and down the Cardrona Valley, a route the agency said was unsuitable for vehicles longer than 12.5 metres, which meant heavy trucks had no practical alternative but to wait. The ODT reported the gorge was still shut at 9.25pm.
Police have not released the name of the person who died, and the Herald is not reporting a name until police do so formally. Police have made no comment on the cause of the crash.
The gorge is a narrow, winding section of SH6 following the Kawarau River, with rock walls on one side and steep drops on the other and few places to pass. It carries most of the traffic between Queenstown and Central Otago, and for Southlanders it is the usual route to Cromwell, Alexandra and Wānaka.
The Kawarau Gorge death was followed on Tuesday by a second fatal crash on SH6 in the south, when a single vehicle left the road between Lumsden and Dipton in Northern Southland. That crash closed the highway at Josephville for about five hours and is also being examined by the Serious Crash Unit.
Both deaths will be referred to the coroner. Anyone who was travelling through the Kawarau Gorge around 3pm on Friday and has dashcam footage can contact police on 105.
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