Christmas traffic is building out of the capital with delays of up to 45 minutes expected for those getting out of the city.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says motorists heading north should expect to wait as traffic is heavily congested between Plimmerton and Paekākāriki.
The organisation is urging any motorists to plan their travel ahead of time by using its holiday journey planner to avoid peak times where possible.
Live traffic cameras show cars lined up across the coast heading north, while traffic into the city is relatively free-flowing.
NZTA's journey planner estimated the heaviest traffic to be between 10am and 12pm - but it will be busy right through until around 6pm.
