Auckland Motorway on the first day of lockdown. Photo / Michael Craig
A coronavirus lockdown has turned Auckland's usually jammed motorways into ghost highways.
The number of kilometres driven on the city's motorways each day fell by just under a quarter when compared to the same date in 2019.
The impact of coronavirus was thought to be the major contributor, with March's average of 12.4 million kilometres falling closer to 9 million last Wednesday.
March and November were typically the busiest months for travelling on Auckland's motorway network, NZ Transport Agency data revealed.
The start of March saw an increase in kilometres driven when compared to 2019, however, the numbers had decreased significantly since.
"The increases shown in the first week of March are to be expected as year-on-year growth," NZTA spokesman Darryl Walker said last week.
"But the third week of the month shows a significant change, and that's likely to accelerate once Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown takes effect over the weekend and next week."
In the third week when the numbers started dropping, on Wednesday, March 18 there were only 12 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
Nova Zeelandia Vikings club captain Jesse De Vincentis is referee as Gabriel Quinole and Tylar Rogerson do battle in a round of Buhurt. Video / Mike Tweed