Police will be out in numbers on the roads as the Labour Day long weekend gets off to a horror start. Photo / NZME
A pedestrian and motorcyclist are the latest Kiwis to die in a devastating start to the long weekend as police report more serious crashes overnight.
It comes after two others died yesterday and others were injured in a series of crashes as New Zealanders hit the roads for the Labour Day long weekend.
The pedestrian died after being struck by a vehicle in Waipapa in Northland at about 3.35am today, police said.
The incident occurred on Onekura Rd, with inquiries into the circumstance underway.
Police also reported a motorcyclist injured yesterday afternoon in a crash in Taihape, north of Palmerston North, has died.
The crash between a car and motorbike occurred on State Highway 1 and was reported to police at 3.40pm.
“The motorcyclist was transported to hospital in a critical condition and later died,” police said.
“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.”
Two others were also critically injured in an overnight crash in Hamilton.
That single-car crash took place at about 1.10am in Kells Pl in Frankton.
It follows on from two people dying and at least four others being injured yesterday afternoon as the Labour Day long weekend on the roads got off to a horror start.
One of those who died was involved in a crash with multiple vehicles in Northland at the intersection of SH1 and Shoemaker Rd at Waipū just before 2pm yesterday, police said.
“Sadly one person received critical injuries and has since died at the scene ... four other people have received injuries ranging from serious to minor and have been transported to hospital,” police said.
The second death occurred after a two-vehicle crash on SH3 between Maxwell Station and Pukerimu Rds near Pākaraka, Whanganui, at 1.30pm, police said.
“One person died at the scene, with another was transported to hospital in a serious condition”, a spokesperson said.
SH3 was closed after the crash but had reopened by 6.30pm.
The long weekend is starting off on a wet note for the top of the country as people leave for holiday hotspots to make the most of the last three-day break before Christmas.
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— MetService (@MetService) October 20, 2023
A pleasant start to Labour Weekend for most, with 7am temperatures not too hot, but not too cold🥣 pic.twitter.com/ENZA9lUsDz
Showers and cloudy skies are forecast for the north today but most regions will finally get more settled weather for Labour weekend.
Motorists are urged to give themselves enough time to reach their destinations as traffic starts to build.
The first surf lifesaving patrols of the year are also set to start this weekend. Sunday is likely to be the best day for a swim.
In Auckland, many beaches are unsafe after a sewer collapse opened a 13m sinkhole on a private property on St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell, almost a month ago. More than eight million litres of wastewater a day has been flowing into Waitematā Harbour since.
It’s still not safe to swim at 20 beaches, because of the sewer collapse, according to safeswim.org.nz
They are:
Those in the central and eastern North Island can expect to see the road cones put away as Waka Kotahi announces work on many highways will be put on hold from midday today.
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said the weather across New Zealand would be a mixed bag.
“Most places in the country will see varied weather across the three-day weekend.
“So if you’re heading away it’s worth packing a raincoat alongside your swimming outfit.”
Ferris said the weather over the weekend is more on the “benign side” so it’s not expected to have a large impact on those travelling through the weekend.
“Those heading away today will have a mainly fine run if they stay away from Northland and Southland.
“Saturday sees some showers sprinkled around the country, less so in western areas.
“Sunday is another showery day, clearer skies around Northland, Westland, Southland and Otago.
Saturday's emojicast:
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) October 20, 2023
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“Showers are mainly confined to the North Island on Monday but cloud will be spreading over the South Island as the next frontal system approaches from the Tasman Sea.”
By Monday, most regions should be settled and bathed in sunshine.
Labour Monday next week looks to be the time when high pressure covers all of the country, WeatherWatch said.
For the North Island, there will be some clouds for Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, and also some clouds for the upper North Island that may deliver a shower or two.
The West Coast will have some cloud though and there will be high cloud over the South Island.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has announced the majority of sites on the state highway network in Waikato and Bay of Plenty will be shut down from midday today, meaning motorists will be able to reach their destination with as few obstructions as possible.
But several long-term sites, such as at the Ngāruawāhia Bypass, will continue to have restrictions.
“Key corridors such as SH1 north and south of Hamilton, and SH2 north of Tauranga, will be busy at certain times. Leaving an hour earlier or later can make a big difference,” Waka Kotahi said.
In the Waikato, Karāpiro visitors get a road bonus for Labour weekend as Keeley Reserve will reopen, with work set to wrap up on the new turnaround bay this week.
In Auckland over the long weekend, the Western Line between Newmarket and New Lynn will close to replace the compacted rock between the tracks and upgrade drainage, which will take until May next year.
But KiwiRail chief planning officer David Gordon said unlike significant disruption on the upgraded Southern Line and continuing work on the Eastern Line, some trains will keep running, meaning the works are less disruptive for commuters.
“We are able to work in the evenings, on some weekends, and over Labour weekend and the quiet Christmas period,” Gordon said.
Armageddon Expo is on all weekend at Auckland Showgrounds, starting at 6pm tonight. It’s the first Labour weekend Armageddon Expo in four years.
The pop culture expo, which celebrates stars of TV, movie, comics and YouTube, had to forgo its traditional long weekend celebration over the past few years due to Covid-19 lockdowns and lease disputes over the Auckland Showgrounds venue.
In Tauranga, crowds of 20,000 are expected for art, food and cultural festivals over the long weekend.
Airbnbs are up to nearly 70 per cent occupation in the region and the Vegan Vibes food festival is expecting to see a crowd of 2000.
Tauranga Moana Tauranga Tangata Festival is expecting 950 people affiliated with Tauranga iwi at Matakana Island to spend the long weekend celebrating their unique identities.
The Whaka 100, a three-day mountain biking event held in Whakawarewa Forest, is set to attract about 7500 visitors to the Rotorua area this weekend.
In Northland, the four-day KOAST - Tai Tokerau Art Trail will see more than 140 artists (including several well-known guest artists) open their studios or galleries at more than 40 locations to the public from 10am-4pm each day.
Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim this right when, in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell won the right to an eight-hour day in Wellington.
Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on October 28, 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend the parades and many businesses closed for at least part of the day.