Two bodies have been found inside a car that was discovered upside down in a stream in rural Wellington this morning.
Police, fire crews and Wellington Free Ambulance were called to the crash in Mākara just after 8am.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) shift manager Alex Norris said crews arrived to find a car partially submerged in the stream on Mākara Beach Rd – a narrow, winding road between Karori and Mākara Beach.
The bodies were found by police when they arrived at the scene.
The road was closed for several hours but has since reopened.
A local resident who did not want to be named said they could see the crash site from their home.
They said they saw at least four police vehicles, two ambulances and a fire appliance attending the crash as well as white blanket laid on the ground.
“Usually you hear stuff at night but we didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Our neighbour told me it’s quite a common place where people go off – there’s about a two- to three-metre drop from the road down to the stream.
“I’ve witnessed cars having a head-on collision on the stretch before and a bunch of near-misses. I haven’t really had a chance to let it sink in. I’ve talked to some of the locals this morning and they’re really shocked” he said.
The road skirts a small stream bordered by wire fencing down the bank from Mākara Rd.
Mākara Village cattery owner Cody Stephens said he saw police cars and a fire engine go past his property this morning, heading towards the beach.