Car travelled wrong way on Wellington motorway before horror double fatal crash

A car drove the wrong way on a Wellington motorway for almost 10 kilometres before the horror crash which killed its driver and passenger.

The crash occurred on Wellington's Urban Motorway in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Police confirmed later in the day that the car took a wrong turn onto the motorway at Cornish St in Petone then drove south in the northbound lane before smashing into a second vehicle driving north.

The passenger and driver of the car travelling the wrong way died at the scene.

The two occupants of the northbound car were rushed to Wellington Regional Hospital in critical condition.

The motorway was closed but the northbound lanes have since reopened.