UPDATED 6.44PM: Police have named 29-year-old Rotorua man Aterea Paurini Daulton Moke as the man killed in a crash on State Highway 33, near Paengaroa.
Police arrived at the scene to find a car and motorbike had crashed at about 8.50pm.
Police are investigating the death of a motorcyclist on SH33, south of Paengaroa. File photo.
Fire and ambulance crews were also called to the scene.
A Te Puke St John paramedic spokesperson says the motorbike rider had "unsurvivable injuries" and died at the scene.
Acting Senior Sergeant Owen O'Brien says following preliminary investigations, police believe a second vehicle may have inadvertently been involved and unknowingly struck the motorbike rider after he came off his bike.
"Police are appealing for the driver and or the occupants of any vehicles who may have travelled on SH33 at the time of the crash to check their vehicles for any minor damage and to contact police if they are able to provide any information that may assist the investigation."
The crash caused the road to be closed for several hours while police investigated the scene.
During the road closure, motorists were diverted for down SH36/Tauranga Direct Road.
Police reopened the road at about 2am.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sergeant Wayne Hunter at Tauranga Police Station on 577 4300.
Alternatively, information can be left anonymously via the Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 line.
7 comments
Another motorcycle death
Posted on 29-03-2014 08:15 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
Ratio wise, far too many motorcyclists die on our roads. Living on a busy arterial road, I see motorcyclists are commonly the ones speeding the most. A motorcycle gives no protection if something goes wrong. My suggestion will create howls of protest from some, but police should be able to double the speeding fine if you are riding a motorcycle. Slow down!
Not necessarily so big ted....
Posted on 29-03-2014 09:49 | By groutby
No, as a motorcyclist I am not going to "howl with protest" at your suggestion, but just shrug my shoulders and think...here we go again. I'm not clear where you got your information that "motorcyclists are commonly the ones speeding the most"..and is likely correct in some cases, but as the vehicle has a far smaller mass than a car/truck etc, and usually has quite a different sound (some will say "noisey" even if it is all OE on the bike)then it will appear to be going faster than maybe it is. We commonly hear "the motorcyclist was speeding"..or "alcohol was a factor" (watch this space)..personally I have doubts as to the ability by authorities to accurately determine the true cause of many of the accidents involving motorcycles. It is way easier to blame it on one or both mentioned above, . My condolences to the family of rider.
Thanks Groutby
Posted on 29-03-2014 11:10 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
Thanks for your moderation comments. All valid. My observations on my extremely busy (8000 cars a day, are that most motorcyclists are passing cars doing 50-65k. They are not happy following cars. The power to weight ratio of a motorcycle is different to a car ie they can accelerate out of and into trouble more easily. Nobody wins when someone dies on our road and I too feel for those grieving.
Motorcycle awareness
Posted on 29-03-2014 15:21 | By drgoon
I'm not going to speculate on who or what caused this tragedy, that would be pointless. What I want to say is that there is a tendency for those reading this type of news article to be biased against motorcyclists and motorcycles because of unfounded negativity. There are a multitude of motorcyclists who ride and use the road in a safe and courteous manner who also enjoy the thrill and excitement of riding faster than allowed by law. And here is my point, so do many many 4 wheeled vehicle drivers. I put it to all readers to evaluate your own behaviour on the road, including failure to give way, incorrect use of traffic islands, failure to stop at red lights, changing lanes without indicating, and everything else you do before blaming motorcyclists when they appear in the news.
Think about how YOU Drive
Posted on 29-03-2014 18:24 | By Blessed
We only here about Major accidents in the media.. We dont hear about simple near misses or small accidents where cars rear end another at traffic lights?? This is a Person, not just a motorcyclist, and this article tells us NOTHING of what happened, ive had two friends Killed on their Motorbikes because a person in a 'car' pulled out in front of them.. In Both cases it was proved the Car drivers fault. Almost everyone is Guilty of Speeding, Car, Truck AND Motorcycle drivers! Be Careful and Courteous, or start Walking!.
No, little ted
Posted on 30-03-2014 08:06 | By Chris
Ted, motorcyclists aren't the ones driving 2 ton death machines that inflect injury upon everyone ELSE in an accident. At worst motorcyclists kill themselves, but cars have a lot to answer for in most motorcycle crashes. Get out of your sad little cage one day and feel what it's like to be exposed as motorcyclists and cyclists do every day. We should increase fines by an order of magnitude for drivers using cellphones, failing to indicate or give way, failing to look before overtaking, etc.
Get real big ted
Posted on 31-03-2014 13:57 | By triplediamond
Another car driver with no idea about motoring. Ask anyone driving on our roads today about the idiots in cars not indicating, not giving way, not stopping at stop signs, not looking in the places when driving...etc etc. Now some motorcyclists are guilty of this too but not generally…. they have more to lose in a crash. All drivers should be tested every 2 - 3 years with a practical driving test. No indicating, no giving way, not stopping properly at a stop sign should all result in a FAIL. Too many drivers in NZ have got no idea! Driving is an earned privilege, not a natural right.
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