Drivers who were earlier waiting for the road to open were offered a cuppa at Tukorehe Marae. Photo: Supplied / Tūkorehe Marae
NZ Transport Agency says State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin has reopened after a serious crash but drivers can expect ongoing delays.
Earlier, a marae near the scene of crash opened its doors to stuck drivers.
At about 2.30pm, NZTA said northbound queues were back to Ōtaki, and southbound queues were back to Kimberley Road.
Emergency services were called to the two-vehicle crash near Manakau around 10.20am between Whakahoro and Kuku East Roads, and remain on site.
Police said emergency services were called to a collision involving a car and a motorcycle near Whakahoro Road but the rider died at the scene. Another person suffered minor injuries.
Earlier police said Te Iwi o Ngāti Tukorehe Marae just north of Manakau opened its doors to drivers waiting for the road to open and was providing cups of tea.
When the highway was still closed, a worker at a nearby business said traffic in the southbound lane was at a standstill.
"It's very quiet and the traffic has just stopped. You can hear people's voices rather than the drone of the traffic.
"There's a line of traffic - trucks, cars - nothing travelling north."
They thought it was "fabulous" that the nearby marae had opened its doors to waiting drivers.
Earlier this month, members of the Horowhenua-based iwi Ngāti Tukorehe said they would fly their flags even higher along State Highway 1 after what they said was a "racist" attack after several of the Tino Rangatira flags were ripped down.
A social media post on Tuesday said marae members were "offering manaaki in the form of water and access to whare paku to those stuck in traffic".
"Know us before you judge us. Caring for others is in our blood," it said.
Police urged drivers travelling through the area to be patient and drive carefully.
Flags outside Tukorehe Marae. Photo: Supplied / Tipi Wehipeihana
'It's unsafe'
Ngāti Tukorehe Tribal Committee chairperson Pikitia Heke said pleas to keep the stretch of highway near the local Marae at the 80 kilometre speed limit had "fallen on deaf ears".
Heke said she drove by the aftermath of one crash shortly before hearing of a second that closed the road on Tuesday.
"When the speed limit went down to 80kms we didn't have any fatalities on our road. There wasn't any significant crashes on our road and then - as soon as it went up - there's been two crashes today that I know of," Heke said.
She said the Iwi had approached local ministers and held protests in opposition to raising the speed limit but to no avail.
"It's dangerous. There's alot of sharp turns, over-bridges. When you go over the over-bridges in both Kuku and in Manakau you can't see because they're on hills and they're turning at the same time. So there's no real clear vision. Unless you know where you're going - or know the road - it's unsafe really," Heke said.
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