Holiday traffic is in full swing with travellers heading to destinations across the country to enjoy a long Easter weekend with fewer COVID-19 restrictions.
From 11.59 pm on Wednesday, all of New Zealand moved into the orange traffic light setting, which means no capacity limits or distancing requirements at venues and no mask requirements at hospitality venues including cafes and bars.
COVID restrictions may be easing but the traffic isn't with long delays across the country.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has issued a series of warnings for motorists looking to escape this weekend.
The agency is urging Aucklanders to consider delaying their trips to later this evening or early tomorrow as there are long traffic delays heading both north and south out of the city. If delaying trips isn't possible NZTA says traffic heading north should consider using State Highway 16 as an alternative route.
Traffic on SH1 between Puhoi to Wellsford and SH1 between Manukau to Bombay is expected to be heavy.
In the Wellington region, northbound traffic is expected to be heavy on SH1 Kāpiti and SH2 Remutaka Hill.
Travellers in the South Island should expect high traffic volumes on SH1 Waipara, north of Canterbury.
NZTA advises travellers heading away this Easter Weekend to check their interactive Holiday Journeys Map to plan their trip in advance. The map shows predicted traffic flows across popular holiday routes, based on previous years' travel patterns.
