Earlier this afternoon another crash blocked the southbound right lane of the Northern Motorway after Esmonde Rd. The crash has been cleared but NZTA warned commuters to expect delays citybound
Motorists have been sending in reports of traffic already banked up around the inner city as people attempt to get onto motorways.
Anne Gibson said she was stuck on Curran St going 5km an hour.
"Traffic trying to get onto the Harbour Bridge from Ponsonby stretches about 10 blocks back to Richmond Rd," Gibson said.
"We're basically not moving."
"In our predicted hotspots we are starting to see locations getting heavy and traffic building in those regular places."
Around Auckland, traffic is heavy around some of the key malls such as Sylvia Park in Mt Wellington and the Greville Rd interchange as people do their last minute shopping.
Traffic is flowing reasonably well around Warkworth and Wellsford, but is expected to build as the afternoon progresses.
A breakdown on the Harbour Bridge has been cleared, but delays are being experienced northbound through Spaghetti Junction and St Mary's Bay.
The Central Motorway Junction has also been heavy southbound this afternoon following a couple of minor incidents which were cleared from the lanes fairly quickly, but that along with the onset of the early peak period means that there is likely to be patches of heavy traffic along the Southern Motorway.
A crash northbound, just south of Takanini has also caused disruptions to traffic, and commuters should expect delays between Drury and Takanini.
An NZTA spokesman said traffic is expected to pick up about 2.30pm and stay heavy until about 7pm tonight.
Those heading out of Wellington on the Kapiti Expressway were told by NZTA to expect delays of up to 30 minutes this afternoon due to early holiday congestion.
The agency's system manager Steve Mutton said motorists could make their holiday journeys safer by preparing well, planning ahead and making the right choices.
He said the message to drivers was simple – drive safely.
But if everyone left plenty of time to reach their destination and drove to the conditions the worst of frustrations could be eased and everyone could concentrate on arriving safely at their destination.
Commuters are asked to plan ahead, drive to the conditions, watch out for fatigue, keep your cool, buckle up and don't drink and drive - and to enjoy the Christmas holiday!
The Transport Agency has produced interactive Holiday Hotspot maps showing the busiest routes and times over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Data from previous years show highways will be busy throughout the middle of the day from 23 December 2017 to 4 January 2018.
