Couple dance away the hour-long wait in traffic in Awakino Gorge

June 1, 2020

Travellers are facing lengthy delays following the first holiday weekend since lockdown restrictions eased.

Many people heading home after the long weekend face a bottleneck of traffic, with delays of several hours being reported in some areas.

Police say traffic was backed up on SH 3 near the Awakino Tunnel at the Awakino Gorge earlier today.

The reason was initially reported as the traffic lights malfunctioning but it was later confirmed as being an overload of traffic in the tunnel. 

One couple made use of the extra time as they made their way north, the driver of the car behind filming them as they danced to the Annie Crummer song, See What Love Can Do.

“They were a very cute couple, they were lovely,” said Heidi Kuriger, the driver following the pair.

Ms Kuriger said she’d been waiting for over an hour in the Awakino Gorge as she headed back to Thames from New Plymouth.

“By the time I get back to Thames it would probably have taken six and a half hours instead of four and a half,” she told 1 NEWS.

The main road into the region is closed, leaving people with the choice of a long drive via the coastal route or staying put.

It comes as wild weather has hit areas of the upper North Island – in the Coromandel, holidaymakers were warned to head home yesterday as many vehicles were turned around today due to flood conditions.

The main road into the region is closed leaving people with the choice of a long drive via the coastal route or staying put.


SHARE ME

More Stories