Far Northerners have long enjoyed boasting they live in a district without traffic lights - but they won't be able to do so much longer.
The Far North's first set of traffic lights are being installed by the NZ Transport Agency on Paihia's Marsden Rd, opposite the wharf, and are due to be operational by mid-June.
The lights are not designed to control a complicated intersection but to manage the flow of people and traffic at a busy pedestrian crossing.
In summer and on cruise ship days so many people use the crossing it can be impossible for cars to get through, leading to driver frustration and queues of traffic. There have also been instances of cars ignoring the crossing and putting pedestrians in danger.
NZTA Northland safety manager Tim Crow said the new lights would use detectors to sense when pedestrians were waiting or crossing the road, extending the crossing time if needed or cancelling the pedestrian phase if someone decided not to cross.