Significant motorway delays as Easter holiday-makers return to Auckland, Wellington

Motorists are being warned of significant delays as holidaymakers head back toNew Zealand's major cities after the Easter weekend break.

For those heading to Auckland from Rotorua, traffic is significantly building and looks like it could take over twice the normal travel time of two and a half hours.

At 12:15pm on Monday, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the estimated travel time from Rotorua to Bombay was six hours and 22 minutes. By 12:30pm it had increased to seven hours 38 minutes.

Delays are also expected for those heading south into the city.

The journey from Wellsford to Silverdale (via SH1) normally takes 35 minutes in free-flowing traffic, however, the current travel time is just under one hour.

There are other increasing delays in Auckland, from Bombay to the city, and between Auckland Airport and the city.

Waka Kotahi says the worst time to travel northbound through Manukau to Bombay will be between 1pm - 5pm.

In Wellington, holiday traffic is also building, particularly southbound on State Highway One between Ōtaki to Peka Peka.

"Queues are likely to build back to Manakau & heavy traffic is not expected to ease until early evening," NZTA tweeted. "Allow extra time for your journey or consider travelling outside peak hours."

Motorists in the lower North Island are also asked to be cautious as wild weather batters the region.

A strong wind warning is in place on SH2 at Rimutaka Hill.