The number of lives lost on the roads so far this Easter Break is already the highest road toll for the holiday since the year 2000.

One person died on Sunday morning in a crash on State Highway 5 at Reporoa north-east of Taupo and a second has life-threatening injuries. It follows a multiple fatality near Pukekohe on Good Friday.

The latest death takes the road toll so far this Easter to five, making it the highest since six people died on the roads in 2000.

Easter weekend got off to a bad start on the roads, with four people killed in the crash Pukekohe crash south of Auckland on Thursday night.

The police said it appeared a car hit a tree on State Highway 22, which runs between the Southern Motorway and Pukekohe, at 2.30am.

Their deaths saw the road toll immediately hit last year's total for the entire Easter break.

Sebastian Sigamoney's boy-racer car was his pride and joy, but early on Good Friday morning the 19-year-old crashed his Honda Integra type-R car.

Friend Mike Haverland says his friends had all told him to slow down before but he didn't listen.

"It was really gonna happen sooner or later, well we knew it was going to happen. He thought he was invincible," says Haverland.

Police say speed was the vital factor in the crash.

"If anything can come out of this tragedy it would be to reinforce that message that speed kills. It's a holiday weekend and we really want people to come home safely," says Counties Manukau Police Inspector David Simpson.