A head-on crash on the Crown Range yesterday morning (Wednesday April 12) has led locals to share their stories of the dangers of driving the road. 

The Crown Range, between Cardrona and SH6 (near Arrow Junction), is dubbed the highest main road in New Zealand at 1,079m above sea level at its summit. 

It may also be one of the country’s most dangerous.

A Wānaka woman was travelling ahead of one of the vehicles involved in yesterday’s crash. 

She said she swerved to avoid a car driving towards her, which was on her side of the centre line. 

That car then collided head-on with the car behind her.

She told the Wānaka App she avoided a crash thanks to ”timing”, rather than defensive driving skills.

Cars crossing the centre line are a common sight on the road. PHOTO: Supplied

Two people were injured in the crash (one with moderate and one with serious injuries) and the road was closed from 8.30am to just after 2pm yesterday.

These experiences are not uncommon for locals who drive across the range regularly. 

Another Wānaka resident (who asked not to be named) told the Wānaka App she drives the Crown Range daily, and the drivers “are horrific”.

“I probably have about 200 pictures of bad driving.”

She commutes to work daily in Arrowtown in morning and evening Crown Range peak traffic, which she says is a mix of local drivers and tourists.  

“It’s not just tourists driving badly.”

She said she has seen the police on the road only five times since Christmas and she believes they are not there enough.

“They should be doing continuous up-and-over loops.”

Wānaka resident Emily Stewart-Harding (43) was killed on the Crown Range road last November - near where yesterday’s accident took place - after her vehicle was T-boned by another. 

Emily died at the scene while another person was airlifted to hospital with moderate injuries.

Read more: Police name Wānaka woman killed in Crown Range crash

The woman whom the Wānaka App spoke to said common incidents she sees include cars driving over the centre line, even on corners; cars travelling at 40-60kph and not pulling over; drivers speeding up on the only passing lane then slowing down again; cars driving below the speed limit but speeding through Cardrona (which is a 40kph zone); and cars closing gaps when passing so you can’t get in.

“Generally it’s just oblivious drivers,” she said.

She has also had another driver stop, verbally abuse her and try to make her stop her car.

He went over the centre line on the zig zags above SH6 and nearly clipped a group of motorcycles coming uphill. He braked; she was behind him and braked to avoid him but it was close.

“After he’d stood in the middle of the road at the bottom of the Crown Range turn-off to Arrowtown, he then got in his car and chased me flashing his lights like a lunatic.”

She reported the incident to police but said she did not get a response. 

The police have not yet responded to the Wānaka App’s request for information about accident rates on the Crown Range.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is responsible for maintaining the Crown Range road and related assets such as signage, road markings and chain bays and layby areas. 

“When a serious crash occurs we work with emergency services and other organisations to understand what caused the crash and whether there is anything further we can do to improve safety,” QLDC spokesperson Sam White told the Wānaka App.

In 2020 Wānaka senior constable Ian Henderson told the Wānaka App the road was challenging for some locals and extremely challenging for visiting drivers not accustomed to traversing a mountain pass.

Read more: Navigating the Crown Range

He cited the same issues as the Wānaka resident above: Many of the complaints the police received were of drivers cutting corners, passing dangerously and crossing the centre line. 

Ian said he had even pulled over drivers who believed a double yellow line indicated a safe passing area.

In 2020 Wānaka police pushed for the road’s speed limit to be lowered to 80kph on the Crown  Range, saying that inappropriate speed for the conditions was a common factor in crashes. 

However the speed limit remains the maximum open road speed limit - 100kph (for light vehicles) - all the way between Cardrona township and the bottom of Crown Terrace.