Kiwis heading away for the holiday break on Friday afternoon should be prepared for heavy traffic and are being warned to allow extra time.
- Are you stuck in holiday traffic? Send photos to news@newshub.co.nz
What you need to know:
- So far one serious crash has occurred - in the South Island's Tasman District, where one person was critically injured.
- The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is advising Kiwis keep track of its holiday journey planner
- For Aucklanders heading south out of the city, the NZTA says traffic will be the heaviest between 12pm and 7pm on Friday
- If you're heading north from Wellington on State Highway 1 on the Kapiti Coast between Peka Peka and Otaki, expect bad traffic for most of the upcoming weekend
- Those travelling out of Christchurch can expect the heaviest traffic on SH1 between 10am and 11am on Saturday and Sunday.
These live updates have now ended.
6:18pm - The NZTA says the Mt Victoria tunnel has re-opened.
6:08pm - Wellington's Mt Victoria tunnel is closed in both directions due to a crash.
5:17pm - SH4 at Parikino, north of Whanganui, remains under stop/go management.
"Please continue to take extra care along this route," the NZTA says.
5:13pm - The NZTA has confirmed the Tasman District crash happened at SH6's Gowanbridge, and delays are possible.
5:05pm - KiwiRail has re-opened the section of line at Rangitata, south Canterbury, that was damaged in a recent serious flooding event.
The line has been closed for almost two weeks when 330-metres of track suffered significant washout damages. The re-opening allows freight services to resume full operations.
4:46pm - One person has been critically injured in a serious crash between a truck and ute near Murchison on Friday afternoon.
The collision took place on the Kawatiri-Murchison Highway in the South Island's Tasman District, just after 4pm.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area.
4:36pm - Only urgent or emergency-type road works will take place during the summer months, the NZTA's Mark Owen told Magic Talk.
4:30pm - The NZTA's Mark Owen told Magic Talk's Ryan Bridge that roads are busy throughout the country.
"The weather is definitely a factor," Owen said. "It just really makes it challenging in terms of those driving conditions."
December was expected to have "unsettled" weather throughout the country, WeatherWatch said.
4:18pm - The Friday before Christmas is historically one of the worst days of the year for drink driving.
Auckland Transport says buses, trains and "some" ferries are free from 4pm to ensure workers get home safely after celebrating the end of the working year with colleagues.
But it's not just Auckland that's effected. The city's road policing manager, Inspector Scott Webb, says it happens throughout the whole country.
"The message is; we don't want to be the party police," Insp Webb told Magic Talk's Ryan Bridge.
"We accept that people are entitled to have some drinks - they work hard all year.
"What we're saying is, if you choose to do that, please take advantage of the free Friday initiative that we've got going with Auckland Transport."
3:22pm - SH4 in Parikino, north of Whanganui, is down to one lane due to a crash.
2:53pm - Upper Willis St in Wellington will be closed to through traffic from 3pm Friday until later in the night
The closure is so urgent underground work can be carried out on drains to stop sewage overflowing into the harbour.
Willis St will be closed between Vivian Manners Sts. Ghuznee St will also be closed between The Terrace and Victoria St.
The overflow of sewage follows the collapse of a section of old drain on Friday morning.
2:25pm - Metlink Wellington says heavy traffic in the city and Lower Hutt is causing "severe delays" to many bus services.
On Thursday, the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) advised motorists of what are expected to be the busiest roads in the country. Traffic was expected to be busy between 2pm and 7pm on State Highway 1 at Takanini.
Northbound traffic on SH1 between Warkworth and Puhoi is also expected to be clogged until about 8pm, the NZTA says on its website.
Currently, the best time to travel northbound between Puhoi and Wellsford is after 8pm on Friday, and after 4:30pm on Saturday.
The agency also has a journey planner so people can organise their trip around congestion, road works, and road closures.
In Wellington, SH1 between Peka Peka and Otaki is expected to be busy 8am and 6pm right through to January 5, for both northbound and southbound traffic.
While driving during the holidays, the NZTA advises people to plan ahead and drive to the conditions.
