Tremains Art Deco Festival participants travelling to Hawke's Bay in vintage cars have been hindered by road surface issues on the Napier-Taupo Rd.
The NZ Transport Agency has advised motorists that care is needed on State Highway 5 and State Highway 2 near Napier, as small sections of the road require urgent repair.
NZ Transport Agency highway manager Wayne Oldfield said weather conditions had affected the road sealing work contractors were undertaking in these areas.
"As a consequence, the road surface is slippery and we have had to put in place a temporary speed limit of 30 km/h to keep road users traveling through these sites safe," he said.
"We need to wait for the weather to improve until we are able to get in and repair the road, so we expect the temporary traffic management and lower speed limits to be in place over the weekend".
There are reports those travelling in vintage cars to the Tremains Art Deco Festival have been hindered by issues with the road surface.
Signage will give advance warning of the change in speed limit. Contractors will be on site throughout the weekend to ensure that road users can pass safely through the affected areas.
The areas affected are State Highway 5, 2kms north of Te Pohue, close to the Go All Blacks Wool Shed, and 5kms south of the Tarawera Tavern.
State Highway 2 close to the Te Ngaru Waterfall carpark is also affected.
"People should factor some extra time into their journeys over these routes," Mr Oldfield said.
"We appreciate this is a busy weekend for the Hawkes Bay region with the Art Deco Festival. We thank people for their patience and for sticking to the lower speed limits to keep everyone safe".
Police are also urging caution, as heavy rain puts an end to the recent dry spell across the Eastern District.
"This is the first lot of rain we've had for some time so the roads can be quite slippery," Senior Sergeant David Sutherland of the Eastern District Command Centre said.
"We appreciate that everyone has somewhere to get to, but please take care getting there. Slow down in the wet weather, drive to the conditions and be aware of other roads users and pedestrians."
- Keep up to date with the current state highway conditions via 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49), or www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/regions/6