Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Easter Weekend: Extra busy traffic expected this weekend, summer weather forecast for some

Michael  Neilson
By Michael Neilson
Senior political reporter, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·
31 Mar, 2021 01:48 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

It's a mixed bag of weather this weekend across the country. Photo / File

It's a mixed bag of weather this weekend across the country. Photo / File

The east coast of the country is the place to be over the Easter Weekend, with one lucky spot set to hit a summery 27C on Sunday.

And with last year's Easter travel cancelled due to the nationwide Covid-19 level 4 lockdown, roads this weekend are expected to be extra busy.

MetService forecaster Sonja Cooper said Good Friday should start off relatively fine for the upper North Island, with a southerly change creeping up the country, bringing slightly cooler-than-average temperatures.

Similar conditions were in store for Saturday before a northwest flow arrived on Sunday, bringing buckets of rain to the South Island's West Coast but sunshine and warm conditions to the east.

Kaikōura is looking the pick of the bunch currently, with a balmy high of 27C on Sunday, and slightly cooler elsewhere on the east coast.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The North Island's east coast should hover around the mid 20s over Sunday and Monday, with the Coromandel, Auckland and Northland all around the low 20s.

Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency is predicting an extra busy Easter on the roads this year after last year's lockdown disruptions.

"Please be patient when driving this Easter, so everyone can relax and enjoy their holiday," Auckland Operations Manager Rua Pani said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The agency encourages people to use the online journey planner tool which shows predicted traffic conditions for popular routes in travel hotspots during the Easter period, based on travel patterns from previous years.

The roads around Northland are likely to be busy especially on State Highway 1 through Puhoi between 2.30pm and 5.15pm on Thursday, and between 9.15am and 3.15pm on Friday.

Returning on Monday, the busiest times will be between 10am and 4.30pm.

For those heading south from Auckland through Manukau on SH1, the busiest times are between 2pm and 6pm on Thursday, and between 10am and 2pm on Friday.

Discover more

Northland's Easter Weekend what's on guide

01 Apr 04:00 PM

Returning on Monday, the motorway is expected to be busiest from 1pm to 5pm.

"Congestion and delays are inevitable in peak times, but if everyone leaves plenty of time for their journey, drives to the conditions and plans ahead before leaving home, the worst of the frustrations can be eased and everyone can concentrate on arriving safely at their destination," Pani said.

People should also check their vehicles are safe to drive, adjust to the conditions, keep safe following distances, and take regular breaks.

Meanwhile, Auckland's rail network will be closed from Friday until Monday as KiwiRail carries out major upgrade work.

Buses will replace trains on all lines from the first service on Friday to the end of service on Monday.

Chief Operating Officer Todd Moyle said the Easter break gave them a good chance to get moving on their $1 billion suite of projects over the next four years to support the expected growth in passenger and freight traffic, and the City Rail Link.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Longer periods of access to the network, like the four-day Easter weekend are crucial for works to bring the network up to a modern standard and to build new infrastructure to boost the network's capacity.

KiwiRail teams will continue building a third rail line, with upgrades under way at Westfield and Wiri Junctions.

Work will also continue to extend the electrified network from Papakura to Pukekohe.

Elsewhere lines will be closed for sleeper replacement, drainage improvements, track and signalling work, along with City Rail Link works at Mt Eden Station continuing to progress.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood

Northern Advocate

'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court

Northern Advocate

Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood
Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood

Roddy Pihema saved a woman and her pets from rising floodwaters in Kawakawa.

16 Jul 06:00 AM
'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court
Northern Advocate

'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court

16 Jul 04:04 AM
Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants
Northern Advocate

Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants

16 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP