Major delays ease as State Highway 1 north of Auckland reopens after truck crash

Motorists north of Auckland have been allowed back on State Highway 1 after a truck crash north of Wellsford earlier today.

Drivers were forced to navigate narrow rural roads for 33km after the crash, with one driver describing it as “chaos”.

The truck rolled at Topuni around 10.15am, blocking lanes in both directions near the intersections with Schiska and Otioro Roads.

A detour, which NZTA said was for light vehicles only, required both northbound and southbound commuters to travel through Mangawhai, adding an extra 33km to their journeys.

A section of State Highway 1 north of Auckland was closed for about seven hours after a truck rolled this morning. Photo / NZTA

One motorist travelling north who encountered the detour said it was “f***ing chaos” on the narrow, unsealed road.

”The road is one car wide,” they said.

“There’s hundreds of people trying to traverse Northland’s new state highway.

”I’d advise anyone coming through not to use it if at all possible.”

Video shared with the Herald showed commuters at a standstill, while trucks and vehicles towing trailers inched down a narrow gravel road along the detour.

A police spokesperson said there weren’t any reports of any injuries from the scene.

Motorists had to navigate narrow rural roads along a 33km detour after a truck rolled and blocked SH1 north of Auckland.

The New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi warned vehicle recovery and clean-up meant the road would be closed until “early this evening”. At 7.30pm it issued its final update.

“The road is now open under a temporary speed limit. Allow additional time for your journey and expect delays,” it posted to X.

Meanwhile a second Northland crash on SH1 closed the state highway in the Hukerenui area for several hours.

Emergency services were advised about 2.10pm that a car towing a horse float and a truck had collided.

A police spokesperson said there were no serious injuries.

SH1 has closed between Whakapara and Towai in Northland after a car towing a horse float and a truck collided in Hūkerenui. Photo / Julia Gabel

A witness told the Herald it looked like a logging truck had collided with a vehicle towing a trailer.

They said there were no emergency services at the scene when they passed about 2.20pm and a member of the public was co-ordinating traffic.

NZTA initially said SH1 was closed between Whakapara and Towai and urged motorists to consider delaying their journey or allow extra time for the detour.

SH1 HUKERENUI - UPDATE - 3:20PM#SH1 in the Hukerenui area is now OPEN under stop/go traffic management. Allow extra time for delays. ^ND https://t.co/AFQ5lHx4Mf

— NZ Transport Agency - Auckland & Northland (@nztaaklnth) February 3, 2025

Later, it said State Highway 1 in the Hukerenui area was open under stop/go traffic management.