Clogged roads and crashes as New Year’s traffic builds up

Traffic including trucks on Auckland motorway

File photo: Traffic is building for New Year’s.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Passengers have been seen getting out of vehicles and walking alongside standstill traffic on the Kapiti Expressway, as queues and crashes caused chaos around the country.

There were reports on social media of traffic backed up between Ōtaki and Levin with the drive taking 40 minutes on Wednesday – double what it usually would.

Movement was slow heading north into Taihape, with a report of a 3km-line of traffic.

And commuters heading from Auckland to Northland via SH1 were also in for a slow drive. Traffic was heavy before and through Warkworth, then again from Wayby through Wellsford up to Te Hana.

For holidaymakers going south, Auckland’s Southern Motorway was heavy from Manukau to Drury.

Meanwhile, multiple crashes throughout the country have also added to travel times.

Both lanes on SH1 south of Sanson have now been closed after a campervan crashed near Rongotea just after midday.

Police said no one has been injured.

And Remutaka Hill has reopened in both directions after a three-vehicle crash that left one car on fire. Three people received minor to moderate injuries.