Police say some people trying to leave Auckland turned back as they were 'visiting friends'

Police say some people trying to leave Auckland today have been turned back as they were attempting to "visit friends".

It comes as roadblocks have been set up around Auckland, preventing non-essential travel from the region for the next three days amid Covid-19 Alert Level 3 restrictions.

1 NEWS asked Police Sergeant John Schoen how many people had been turned back from the roadblock in Mercer so far today.

"Hard to put an exact number on it, but there has been a substantial number of people who have been travelling unnecessarily that have been turned away."

He said the main reasons people had been turned back was for "work related that doesn’t fit the criteria, and visiting friends".

A large number of people have been turned back from checkpoints for failing to have the correct documentation in relation to work and other exemptions.

The queue to leave the city was backed up around four kilometres at midday. One person said they have been waiting in traffic for two hours.

People who need an exemption are advised to go to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website.

Businesses in Auckland can register for travel documents using an online register, which allows businesses to request and receive travel documents for workers who need to cross an alert level boundary.

"The document can then be used at checkpoints, making passage much quicker and simpler for both workers and police," MBIE said in a statement this morning.

Aucklanders trying to return home can do so, as well as those in Auckland trying to return home to elsewhere in the country.