Motorways north and south of Auckland were busy this evening, as people headed away for the area's long anniversary weekend.
Traffic on Great South Rd looking West Photo: NZTA
Many roads out of the city were congested, as people headed away for the area's long anniversary weekend.
It is the first of two long weekends in a row for the upper North Island, with Waitangi Day observed around the country on the following Monday.
The agency's senior travel adviser, Wayne Sharplin, earlier told drivers going north to take State Highway 16 rather than SH1, as there had been queues into Wellsford.
"It's definitely slow through Wellsford. Warkworth is not queuing back too bad, not as bad as what we've seen at other times or what we saw earlier in the day, but as more people finish work we're expecting it to be heavy through there."
Separately, in Wellington, a truck has rolled on the overbridge on SH1 near Peka Peka. The road has been closed until further notice and diversions are in place.
HEADS UP: Traffic is currently congested on the Coast Rd and heavy heading out of WGTN in general due to a heavy peak. #ExpectDelays ^EL pic.twitter.com/IeZH6A8xQB
— NZTA Wellington (@NZTAWgtn) January 27, 2017
In Auckland, earlier this afternoon, a car caught fire on the southern motorway near Papakura, and a car and a motorbike crashed on the Harbour Bridge.
One person was taken to Auckland Hospital with moderate injuries.
It was unknown how many people were in the car that caught fire at the time and police said they were unable to provide information about how it happened.
Southern Mwy: Car on fire southbound after Papakura. Emergency services blocking left lane to attend. Expect further #delays ^TP pic.twitter.com/26D3bdpNJl
— NZTA Akld & Nthlnd (@NZTAAkl) January 27, 2017
Auckland City road policing manager Mathew Knowsley said they were gearing up for heavy congestion this evening, and had extra staff on to monitor roads leaving the city.
He encouraged people to be patient, turn off their phones and put them somewhere out of reach, wear their seatbelts, drive to the conditions and within the speed limit, and not to drink and drive.
Traffic delays in Wellington and Nelson
It is also Nelson's anniversary weekend, and police there are also urging drivers to be patient.
They had attended several crashes in the region today already, they said.
Senior Sergeant Clare Robertson said drivers should allow plenty of time for their journey, as the closure of SH1 after Kaikōura earthquake last November had diverted large volumes of traffic through alternative roads.
