Emergency services used ropes and a four-wheel-drive to stabilise a van which had rolled down a bank in North Canterbury on Monday morning, only to find the driver dead.
A member of the public alerted emergency services to the crash south of Marble Point, near Hanmer Springs, just before 7am.
A police spokesperson said the van was 30-40m down a bluff in a precarious position.
The spokesperson an ambulance crew was then able to get down to the driver but found the 38-year-old man dead. His name would be released once family members had been notified.
Meanwhile, a 46-year-old Hawke's Bay woman died when the motorcycle she was riding collided with a car near Clive on Monday morning.
The crash happened about 7am on State Highway 2, near the Waitangi Bridge.
A police spokesperson said a north-bound car had stopped on the highway, with its indicator light on to turn right into the Waitangi Reserve.
The motorcyclist appeared to have tried to overtake the car but lost control and collided with an oncoming car in the south-bound lane, the spokesperson said. She died at the scene.
The crash caused major traffic congestion on arterial roads around Hawke's Bay as motorists took alternative routes to avoid the crash site.
Police wanted to hear from anyone who witnessed the crash.
