Beachgoers north of Auckland are causing traffic delays of at least 50 percent as people drive to and from the city to soak up the sun.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency warned motorists earlier on Tuesday there were delays on State Highway 1 between Puhoi and Warkworth as people headed to popular beaches. Traffic cameras show cars and campervans backed up down the motorway and slowly moving as they headed north.
But as people perhaps returned to Auckland from their day out, traffic began to build once again.
According to NZTA's traffic dashboard, at 4pm it was taking about 45 minutes to drive southbound between Wellsford and Puhoi, which it says are delays of at least 50 percent. But heading north was slightly better, with traffic 25 and 50 percent slower than usual between these two places.
A crash earlier on Tuesday blocked SH1 south of Wellsford and caused congestion in the area, NZTA says. However, both lanes reopened about 15 minutes later after the crash was cleared.
It is yet another day drivers on the Puhoi to Warkworth stretch of road have faced congestion. On Monday, NZTA put the "significant" delays down to holiday traffic and there were delays of up to 45 minutes.
People planning on driving over summer are encouraged to use NZTA's Holiday Journeys Traffic Prediction tool to help avoid the busiest travel times.
