Fatigue from a long journey appeared to be the cause of a fatal crash in Matatā.

A father and his 18-year-old daughter were travelling towards Whakatāne on Thursday about 9pm when the crash unfolded near the Herepuru Road intersection on State Highway 2 West.

Eastern Bay road policing manager Sergeant Chris Howard says they suspect the father fell asleep at the wheel, with the car drifting across the centre line into the path of a fully laden truck and trailer unit heading towards Tauranga.

The father died at the scene, with the daughter taken to Whakatāne Hospital with a fractured wrist.

'Speaking to the young lady, she was traumatised.

'She said they were both really tired and were going to pull over further down the road for a sleep, but they didn't make it.”

The road was closed until around 7.30am the next morning when it was then opened to one lane after clearing the truck off of the road.

Police are yet to examine the truck's dash cam footage to determine the suspected cause of fatigue, but Sergeant Howard says the road was not wet and there was no sign of braking from the car.

With three vehicle fatalities in the Eastern Bay within less than a week, Whakatāne police are urging drivers to take regular breaks to avoid fatigue and swap driving duties if the passenger/s are able to drive, with this being the second crash from fatigue this year on the Matata Straights.

- Whakatāne Beacon