The official Christmas holiday road toll now stands at three deaths, after a driver was killed in an early-hours crash in the Waikato overnight. Emergency services were called to a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Orini Rd and McConnell Rd, in Orini, about 12.30am. Police said the sole occupant of the vehicle was found dead. Orini Rd was closed overnight between Rutherford and Tenfoot Rds as the Serious Crash Unit carried out a scene examination. The circumstances of the crash are not yet known and inquiries are ongoing. The death takes this year’s official Christmas holiday road toll to three, after two deaths were reported yesterday. A man who was struck by a car on a street in Napier, on Boxing Day, suffered critical injuries and died in hospital on Monday. The second road toll death was recorded yesterday, after a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Tangoio, Hawke’s Bay. Serious crash on SH1, Ohau Point Meanwhile, at least two people have been involved in a crash on State Highway 1, near Kaikōura, shortly after 9.30am. Police said two vehicles had collided on SH1 at Ohau Point. “Initial information from the scene is that two people have been seriously injured. An update on injury status will be provided as soon as we’re able.” Authorities are advising motorists in the area that travel will be disrupted and they should plan for delays. Last year, 15 people were killed on New Zealand roads during the official Christmas holiday period, which started at 4pm on Christmas Eve and ends at 6am on Monday, January 5. New Zealand’s annual road toll, as of this morning, stands at 270. If it remains below 272, it will be the second-lowest annual road toll total since 1951.