Twelve dead in four days - New Zealand's grisly week of crashes

Twelve people have died on New Zealand roads in just four days in what has been a grisly spate of crashes.

The most recent occurred today after a man died after crashing into a fence in Morrinsville, Waikato, at 3.55pm today.

The road toll now stands at 83, 12 more than the same time last year.

67-year-old Hori Kaiwai from Rotorua died following a crash on State Highway 5, near Maraeroa Rd, north of Rotorua, at around 9.30am yesterday.

Marlena Picht, 24, and Marc Damboldt, 30, both from Bad Sacha in central Germany, died on Saturday when the people mover they were in collided head-on with an oncoming truck just north of Kaeo in Northland.

The impact was enough to tear the van they had modified so they could camp in it, in two.

Picht had documented their travels on a blog called Adventure In My Backpack and had regularly posted to Facebook about her adventures in New Zealand.​

Marlena Picht and Marc Damboldt from Germany were killed on Saturday in a crash near Kaeo in Northland. Picture / Supplied

Another two Germans, Rebekka Maria Isenmann, 31, and Simon Daniel Schweizer, 35, were killed in a crash on State Highway 47 near Whakapapa on Saturday morning.

56-year-old Lynda Anne Bailey from Auckland also died in a crash that happened about 4.45pm yesterday on State Highway 5 near Tapapa in the Waikato.

There was also another three fatalities following a police pursuit in Nelson on Sunday.

Phillip Stretch, 33, and Johnathan Tairakena, 25 crashed and died during the pursuit, also killing innocent motorist and mother, 53-year-old Carmen Marie Yanko.

The crash occurred on State Highway 6 at Hope, south of Nelson about 5.40am on Sunday.

Another person was killed during a crash in Hikurangi, Northland, about midnight on Saturday, as well as an elderly Tauranga woman, who was injured after being hit by a car in Tauranga's CBD on Friday and died in Tauranga Hospital on Sunday.