Easter holiday traffic: Delays north and south of Auckland

Easter traffic is quickly piling up on motorways north and south of Auckland as holidaymakers head home from the long weekend away.

A driver says traffic is crawling towards Cambridge, with Google maps showing stretches of extremely slow-moving traffic on State Highway 1, Tirau Rd just before the Karapiro Rd junction.

The journey from Wellsford to Silverdale is taking almost twice as long for motorists - an hour on State Highway 1 instead of 35 minutes.

From Wellsford to Auckland city congestion is causing a journey time of one hour and 20 minutes instead of the usual 54 minutes.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) predicts traffic will be at its heaviest until 4.30pm today between Puhoi and Wellsford. Congestion is not expected to ease until after 6pm.

Drivers are urged to avoid peak traffic times or plan for the delays.

Our Holiday Journeys map predicts where traffic may get busy on popular holiday routes, based on previous Easter weekend travel patterns. If possible, consider leaving either before or after the times when traffic is expected to be heaviest: https://t.co/MV8zTMz6hr ^TP pic.twitter.com/BHzasZ9ODP

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) April 4, 2021

South of Auckland long delays are forming between Rotorua and Manukau.

NZTA's Auckland traffic dashboard indicates the journey could take up to six hours, but Google traffic updates time the journey as taking around three hours.

Traffic is particularly congested on State Highway 1 between Hamilton and Taupiri, according to NZTA's dashboard.

On State Highway 1 between Bombay and Auckland CBD the journey is expected to take around 11 minutes longer than usual.

Meanwhile, most traffic surrounding the capital is free-flowing.

No delays are yet reported on NZTA's traffic dashboard for Hutt Valley, Wairarapa and Wellington.

A 15-minute delay between Levin and Waikanae is being reported by NZTA due to congestion in Otaki.

Traffic is picking up southbound from Ōtaki to Peka Peka and it's expected to last until 6pm.

#HolidayTraffic is now busy southbound at #SH1 Ōtaki to Peka Peka. Queues are likely to build back to Manakau & heavy traffic is not expected to ease until early evening. Allow extra time for your journey or consider travelling outside peak hours. https://t.co/5XoxeQF3GO ^AL pic.twitter.com/DjxzMgBQ8i

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Wellington (@WakaKotahiWgtn) April 4, 2021

Motorists are urged to be cautious on State Highway 2/Remutaka Hill Road as Metservice issues a strong wind warning.