Five people were injured in a three-vehicle, high-speed crash in a narrow section of the Kawarau Gorge near Roaring Meg, blocking State Highway 6 from Gibbston to Cromwell temporarily this morning.

A St John Ambulance spokesperson says two ambulance crews responded to the scene just before 10.30am, assessing five patients, one of whom was in a moderate condition, the other four in a minor condition.

The patient in a moderate condition was transported by ambulance to Lakes District Hospital, she says.

The accident occurred near the intersection of Kawarau Gorge Road and Cardrona-Roaring Meg Pack Track in the gorge.

Fire and Emergency NZ Southern Communications Centre relieving shift manager Ian Littlejohn says St John called in their assistance to the “high velocity crash” with two Cromwell fire appliances and a support vehicle attending.

“It was a three-car crash involving five patients, described as ‘walking wounded’. No one was trapped and we managed traffic and scene control with one lane blocked,” Littlejohn says.

Police say enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash are ongoing.

The highway was down to one lane after the crash.

The road remained partially blocked for several hours while emergency services worked at the scene, reopening fully just before 12.30pm.

Motorists were advised at the time to avoid the area and expect delays.

Littlejohn says a single vehicle crash was also reported at Roaring Meg in the Kawarau Gorge around 4.20am today with one person receiving minor injuries.