The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has released forecasts for the busiest travel periods as Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty residents head away for the long weekend.
The Auckland Anniversary holiday means an extra day off on Monday, and Kiwis from both regions will be familiar with the heavy traffic which has become a common feature of a long weekend road trip.
NZTA has created an interactive map with forecasts of when traffic will be heaviest, and where.
Choose your route to jump to the info:
Northland:
State Highway 1 (Kawakawa south of Paihia/Bay of Islands)
State Highway 1 (Whangarei)
Auckland:
State Highway 1 (Between Puhoi and Wellsford)
State Highway 1 (Takanini south of Auckland)
Waikato:
State Highway 2 (Maramarua east of SH1/SH2 Interchange)
State Highway 1 (Taupiri north of Hamilton)
State Highway 1 (Karapiro south of Cambridge)
Coromandel:
State Highway 25A (South of Tairua)
State Highway 2 (Between Paeroa and Waihi)
Bay of Plenty:
State Highway 2 (Between Tauranga and Katikati)
State Highway 29 (Kaimai west of Tauranga)
NORTHLAND
State Highway 1 (Kawakawa south of Paihia/Bay of Islands): Northbound will be busy between 2pm and 5.30pm on Friday and between 11am and 4.30pm on Saturday. Southbound will be busy on Monday between 9.30am and 5.30pm, with an extra-heavy period between 11.30am and 1.30pm.
State Highway 1 (Whangārei): Northbound will be busy from 11.30am to 7pm on Friday, and extra busy between 2pm and 6pm, as well as busy on Saturday between 9.30am and 4pm. Southbound will be busy Friday from 6am to 4pm, Saturday from 9am to 12.30pm, Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm and on Monday from 10am to 4pm.
AUCKLAND
State Highway 1 (Between Puhoi and Wellsford): Northbound will be busy between 11am and 8pm on Friday, with an extra-heavy peak between 2pm and 7pm. Saturday will be busy between 8am and 4.30pm, with a peak between 11am and 2pm. Southbound will get busy from noon on Sunday to 8pm, with a short peak between 4pm and 5pm, while Monday will be busy between 9.30am and 8pm, with a long busy period between 10.30am and 4pm.
State Highway 1 (Takanini south of Auckland): Northbound will be busy on Sunday between 11.30am and 7.30pm, with a peak between 3pm and 6.30pm, and Monday will be busy between 10.30am and 8.30pm, with a long peak period between noon and 5.30pm. Southbound will be busy for much of the day on Friday - between 10am and 9pm, and on Saturday the traffic will start to ramp up about 7am and last until 2pm, with a peak between 8am and 11am. A short busy period between 9am and noon will take place on Sunday.
WAIKATO
State Highway 2 (Maramarua east of SH1/SH2 Interchange): Traffic will start to build Eastbound from 10am and last until 10pm on Friday. On Saturday, the traffic will start about 8am and last until 2pm, with a peak between 9am and 11am, with a busy period on Sunday lasting two hours between 10am and noon. Westbound will be busy on Sunday between noon and 7pm, and busy on Monday between 9am and 10pm, with a peak between 10.30am and noon.
State Highway 1 (Taupiri north of Hamilton): Northbound will be busiest between 2pm and 6pm on Friday. There will also be a busy period between 1.30pm and 7pm on Sunday, and between 10am and 3pm on Monday. Southbound will have a long busy period on Friday between 10am and 9pm, with an extra heavy period between 3pm and 6.30pm. It will be busy on Saturday from 8am until 4pm, with a peak period between 9am and noon, and busy on Monday between 9am and 1pm.
State Highway 1 (Karapiro south of Cambridge): Northbound traffic will be heavy on Sunday between 2pm and 7pm, and on Monday between 10am and 6pm, with a long very heavy period on Monday between 11am 5pm. Southbound lanes will be busy on Friday between 11am and 7pm, with extra heavy traffic between 1.30pm and 6pm. Saturday will be busy between 9am and 1pm, with the peak lasting two hours between 10am and noon. Sunday will have a short busy period between 10am and noon.
COROMANDEL
State Highway 25A (South of Tairua): Eastbound will be busy between noon and 8pm on Friday, with the peak stretching between 3pm and 7pm. Saturday will be busy between 11am and 4pm, and busiest between 1pm and 2pm. Westbound motorists will suffer through a prolonged busy period on Monday between 8am and 9pm, with very heavy traffic expected for much of that, between 9am and 8pm.
State Highway 2 (Between Paeroa and Waihi): Eastbound traffic will get busy on Friday between 1pm and 4.30pm on Friday. On Saturday, traffic will be busy between 10am and 4pm, with a heavy peak between 11am and 1pm. A short busy period on Sunday will stretch from 10.30am to 1pm. Westbound traffic will ramp up at 2.30pm on Sunday and ease around 4.30pm, while on Sunday the traffic will get bad between 9am and 6pm, with a very heavy peak between 10am and 5pm.
BAY OF PLENTY
State Highway 2 (Between Tauranga and Katikati): Southbound traffic will be busy all day on Friday between 7am and 5.30pm, with a heavier peak between 2pm and 4.30pm. On Saturday, the traffic will start about 9am and last until 2pm, with a peak between 10am and noon. On Monday, a busy period will stretch between noon and 4.30pm. Northbound traffic will get busy on Friday between 9am and 7pm, with a longer, heavier period between 3pm and 6pm. On Saturday, the traffic will start about 10am and last until 3pm, with a peak between 11am and 1pm. On Sunday, a short busy period will last between noon and 3pm. On Monday, traffic will ramp up at 9am and last until 6pm, with a long heavy peak period between 10am and 4pm.
State Highway 29 (Kaimai west of Tauranga): Eastbound traffic will become busy on Friday between 1.30pm and 7.30pm, with a peak between 4pm and 6pm. On Saturday, the traffic will start about 10am and last until 4pm, with a heavy peak between 11.30am and 2pm. Sunday will see a busy period between 10am and noon, while Monday will see more traffic between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Westbound traffic will see busy periods on Friday between 5pm and 6pm, on Saturday between 10am and noon and on Sunday between 2.30pm and 5.30pm. Monday will see the traffic start about 9.30am and last until 6.30pm, with a long heavy period between 10.30am and 4.30pm.
SHARE ME