Nine people have died in what is the worst single-day death toll on New Zealand roads for more than 15 years - and it's only lunchtime.
The three fatal crashes on Monday resulted in the most lives lost in a calendar day since March 29, 2003.
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One horrific crash saw five family members die after their car hit into a tree near Taupo just before 7:40am. The sole survivor - a teenager - is fighting for their life in Waikato Hospital.
Later that morning, two vehicles collided at an intersection in Ashburton, leaving three people dead and another critically injured.
Finally, a man whose car plunged off the road and into water near Auckland Airport just after 1am passed away from his injuries in Middlemore Hospital later in the day.
The worst day for road deaths since 2000 - March 29, 2003 - claimed 11 lives, while nine lives have been lost on three other occasions in 2000, 2003 and 2005.
One hundred-and-one people have now died on the roads since the start of the year, just behind 2018's death toll after the same period. With 379 fatalities, 2018 was New Zealand's deadliest road toll since 2009.
While weather hasn't been mentioned by police or witnesses as a factor in Monday's accidents, rain is expected to lash most of the North Island over the coming 24 hours.
Meanwhile, one person was taken to North Shore Hospital in a moderate condition after a two-car crash on the Hibiscus Coast Highway just after midday.
Newshub.
