The scene of the crash Thursday between an RV and a truck near the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand.The scene of the crash Thursday between an RV and a truck near the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand. (Christine Cornege/New Zealand Herald)

A Winnipeg man has pleaded guilty in connection with a New Zealand road crash that killed his wife late last week.

Douglas Smith, 62, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death in Hamilton District Court on Monday morning local time, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Smith was banned from driving in New Zealand for six months, the court ruled that afternoon.

His wife, 60-year-old Michele Smith, was a passenger in a recreational vehicle that collided with a truck in King County, south of Hamilton, on Thursday.

The crash happened at the intersection of State Highway 3 and State Highway 37 at the turnoff to the Waitomo Caves, according to a news release from the Waikato Police District.

Neither speed nor alcohol was believed to be a factor in the crash, according to police.

State Highway 3 and Waitomo Caves Road, New Zealand

Douglas and Michele Smith are reported to be the owners of the Marion Hotel in Winnipeg.

The couple and their adult daughter were on a month-long vacation in New Zealand and had spent four hours on a cave adventure prior to the collision, according to the Herald report.

The crash site is approximately 68 kilometres south of Hamilton, which is about 120 kilometres south of Auckland.

King County residents have said the intersection in question has been the site of numerous collisions and is especially confusing for tourists.