UPDATE 4PM: An adult is dead and two pre-school children from Te Puke are in a critical condition in hospital after a crash on State Highway 2 at Te Puna today.

A total of eight people were taken to Tauranga Hospital following the crash involving a people-mover and sedan outside Charlemagne Lodge, near SH2's intersection with Loop Road at 12.30pm.

Firefighters at the scene of a fatal crash on SH2 at Te Puna.

Two cars have crashed on State Highway 2 at Te Puna.

The section of road was closed from 12.30pm with diversions in place, and was reopened at 3.30pm.

Police confirmed the driver of one of the vehicles died and two children in the same vehicle were taken to Tauranga Hospital with serious injuries.

A Tauranga Hospital spokesperson says the two children, aged three and four-years-old from Te Puke, are currently in a critical condition. They could potentially be transferred to Starship Hospital in Auckland for treatment.

One of the children was initially trapped in the back of the vehicle and had to be freed by firefighters.

Travelling in the other vehicle was a family from Auckland. Police say all six of the vehicle's occupants – two adults and four children - were taken to Tauranga Hospital with minor injuries.

A Tauranga Hospital spokesperson says the family – a 49-year-old man and 41-year-old woman, and twin six-year-old boys, an 11-year-old girl and nine-year-old girl, have all been treated and discharged.

Northern Fire Communications shift manager Dallas Ramsay says Greerton and Tauranga firefighters were called to the crash about 12.30pm and helped remove a person from the rear of one of the vehicles.

Nearby at Charlemagne Lodge the groom's party for a wedding scheduled to take place at 1pm were some of the first on scene.

The Lodge's manager Bev Dunton says the groom and groomsmen had arrived not long before the crash occurred and rushed down to help.

'I believe one of them stayed with one of the people in the car, and the others helped divert traffic until police arrived.

'No one witnessed the crash, and no one from the wedding was in the cars.”

The bride en-route to the lodge was informed of the incident and the wedding was delayed half an hour, says Bev.

'It has taken place now and they are off having photos.”

She says no one at the lodge witnessed the crash or were told how it happened but described the scene as "extremely saddening".

The 90km/h zone has a high crash rate, and Bev says it's a bad stretch from Bethlehem through to Katikati.

Police say it is too early to say how the crash occurred as the Serious Crash Unit continues its investigations.