Kiwis are making the most of the long weekends and school holidays this month, with Auckland Airport bringing in extra support staff while disruptions to the public transport network are scheduled as the City Rail Link (CRL) edges closer to completion.
Wellington is shaping up to be the country’s hotspot for domestic travel, with more than 100,000 people travelling to the capital as interest soars in its upcoming music and sports events.
Today will be Auckland Airport’s busiest, with international departures peaking as the year’s first school term ends. Other busy outbound days include Easter Monday and April 11.
Airport traffic looks set to reach other highs at the tail end of the school holidays, with April 10 and 15 seeing a surge in domestic arrivals, and an exodus to other regions on April 17.
The busiest international arrival days will materialise in the coming weeks, with passenger numbers peaking on April 11, 18 and 19.
Auckland Airport chief operations officer Chloe Surridge said changes and tests implemented over summer in tandem with airport agencies had streamlined security and border processing, reducing travel time through the airport by 25% compared to the previous year.
She cited “better data for workforce planning, an extended arrivals hall, express lanes for eligible arriving travellers, increases in countries and territories able to use e-gates, electronic travel declarations and new Aviation Security [AvSec] screening technology that removes the need to take tech equipment out of carry-on bags” as methods improving their efficiency.
Given that Easter coincides with the school holidays, April will be busier than previous years, particularly for domestic movements, and “airport teams have been planning for this increase in travellers” with “additional staff on hand”, Surridge said.
Wellington is seeing a 285% surge in accommodation bookings compared to the same period last year, according to data from Expedia’s Easter Travel Outlook.
WellingtonNZ, the city’s economic development agency, said a slew of events was expected to attract more than 100,000 people to the capital throughout the month, one of its busiest in recent memory.
Events include the first Ultra Music Festival next week, the NZ Warriors’ match against the Dolphins on Anzac Day, and two White Ferns matches against South Africa. Concerts by The Pogues and Boney M are also taking place in the city.
Heidi Morton, WellingtonNZ’s general manager of events and experiences, said the city’s reputation as the world’s “coolest little capital” hinged on initiatives that drew in visitors and engaged the community.
“Events are integral for both the local economy and the sense of pride and connection they create for people.”
Easter bookings in other parts of the country, such as Hawke’s Bay and Rotorua, have spiked by 110% and 65% respectively, with short-term stays in Queenstown, Taupō and the Far North leaping by 55%.
For families with flexibility over the school holidays, Expedia said mid-April held the greatest leeway for quieter and cheaper getaways in New Zealand hotspots.
Closures of Auckland’s rail network to enable upgrades and testing work ahead of the CRL’s opening later this year will coincide with each long weekend, along with three weekdays amid the school holidays.
The four-day Easter shutdown, which will see buses replace trains from tomorrow until April 6, inadvertently came early today with rail services hit by delays and cancellations because of a “network control system failure”.
Auckland Transport (AT) told the Herald that scheduled train services resumed from 2pm, but would end again later tonight, returning to the normal schedule on Tuesday.
Weekday closures will also take place from April 13 to 15, as timetable testing on the CRL progresses, with buses stepping in to replace services.
The final bout of disruptions will take place over the Anzac weekend and the Tuesday afterwards (April 25 to 28), though train services will continue to run until 2pm on Anzac Day to minimise disruptions for those attending memorial services.
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