Emergency services say there was nothing they could do to save the man who was involved in a major road smash near Te Puke early Monday morning.
Police say it is likely the 34 year old Tauranga man died instantly when the vehicle he was driving smashed into a power pole on Manoeka Road shortly before 1am.

The wreckage of the vehicle involved in the Manoeka Road smash near Te Puke. Photographed on Wednesday morning.

Te Puke fire chief Glenn Williams says the red Toyota Corona snapped the power pole in two.
"It suffered a major side impact to the driver's side," says Glenn.
"He'd smashed into the power pole and smashed the pole completely off. It was down across the road and broken in two," says Glenn.
Emergency services could not enter the crash scene until the power was turned off, which took about 45 minutes.
"It was obvious he was dead so there was nothing that could be done to save him," says Glenn.

"From the impact he would have sustained, I think he was gone before any of us got there."

Police say initial investigations suggest speed and alcohol contributed to the crash.
Glenn says it was several hours before fire fighters could get into the vehicle and remove the body.
"He didn't look as though he was trapped, but until everything was clear and police had finished, we couldn't do anything to start the removal from the vehicle."
Police investigations are continuing. The man's name will be released before 3pm.