Dashcam footage of a head-on collision, taken on the same stretch of highway where yesterday's double bus crash near Lake Pukaki occurred, has shown just how treacherous State Highway 8 can get in winter.
The video taken on Saturday shows the vehicle's driver, Lakestone Lodge owner Mike Bacchus, taking it slowly on an icy day with limited visibility.
"I was driving at a speed that I thought was safe, the cars behind me felt they could go faster, so I let them pass," he told 1News.
Moments later he was arriving at the scene of a fresh head-on collision.
"I know that that bridge certainly gets very icy ... sadly they did spin out," Bacchus said.
"I don't think they were in a particular hurry, they just weren't aware."
Two tourist buses crashed in icy conditions near Lake Pukaki on Thursday, with 15 people sent to hospital.
He said locals know the road's issues and drive accordingly but said that the area can be dangerous.
Bacchus has a web camera set up at the lodge which captured yesterday's conditions.
It shows thick fog at at the time of the crash.
The webcam footage was captured at Lakewood Lodge, owned by Mike Bacchus. (Source: Lakewood Lodge)
He described the challenges in the area as: "Cold temperatures, hoar frost, black ice, fog, low visibility, inexperienced drivers, some drivers going too fast — assuming they can go 100km/h just because the speed limit suggests that."
Bacchus acknowledged authorities do grit the roads in the area and often close them too.
"The problem is some parts of the highway are great and other parts, you can come round a corner and you can drop quite a few degrees and hit black ice, so it's not an easy solution."
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