AA spokesman Barney Irvine reveals the best ways to survive holiday traffic hotspots. Video / NZ Herald
The transport agency has released when the best time for Kiwis to hit the road this Waitangi weekend is.
Auckland
Northbound traffic on State Highway 1 from Auckland will be busiest from today noon to 8pm, but things will start heating up on the road from 9.30am.
Things are stilllooking tight on the roads on Saturday, with traffic at its heaviest from 8.30am to 3.15pm - and on Monday things will be back to normal.
Southbound traffic also on the Puhoi and Wellsford route will be heaviest on Friday between 10am and 2.45am on Friday, and busy between 9am and 1.30pm on Saturday.
From 9.45am and 5.30pm on Saturday the Highway is busy, and likewise from 1.15pm and 7.15pm on Sunday - peaking from 5pm to 5.30pm.
It's looking relatively busy on Monday between 10.15am and 9.15pm, with traffic looking most condensed from 1.30pm until 6.15pm.
Southbound traffic along the route is at its heaviest on Friday between 9.30am and 7pm, but will remain busy until 8.15pm.
Traffic on Saturday will be at its heaviest between 7.15am and 1.30pm, and on Sunday will be heaviest from 10.15am until 11am.
Monday will also be busy from 10am until 12pm.
Wellington Traffic
Those leaving the Capital today along the Kāpiti Coast between Peka Peka and Ōtaki should pack extra snacks for the car as the highway will be busy between 8am and 8pm, and will be heaviest from 11am to 6pm.
On the Saturday, the Northbound route will be chocka between 8am and 5pm, but drivers wanting to avoid peak flow should be on the road outside of the hours of 9am and 1pm.
Sunday will also be busy, with the heaviest time looking like 10am until 1pm, with Monday also busy in those hours.
Wellington Traffic this weekend.
Southbound traffic along that stretch of State Highway 1 will be busy between 10am and 7pm on Friday, and will be heavy from 3pm to 6pm.
For those making the journey South, the route will be busy from 3.15pm to 3.45pm on Friday afternoon and on Saturday from 10.45am to 6pm.
On Sunday it's busy from 10.45am until 6.30pm, with its heaviest time being from 11.15am until 5.45pm.
Monday is looking heaviest from 10.30am until 6.15pm.
Christchurch travellers
Christchurch traffic this weekend.
If you're leaving the Garden City over the long weekend State Highway 1 Northbound from Ashburton you're best to hit the road outside the hours of 2.15pm and 6.30pm where it will be busiest.
It's looking busy between 9.15am until 6.15pm on Saturday, and on Sunday it will be busy from 10.30am - 6.30pm.
