Anzac weekend traffic busy across the country and building up close to Auckland

The holiday weekend traffic is already building on SH1 north of Auckland. Photo / Alex Burton

Motorists returning to Auckland from Northland following the long Anzac Day weekend are reporting no delays, although traffic is buildling closer to the city.

"We just drove through Wellsford and Warkworth and on to Takapuna, arriving home at 2.15pm," said one motorist.

Another motorist reported a smooth drive through Warkworth - a notorious bottleneck at long weekends.

The trip to and from Northland is expected to improve from May next year when the 18.5km Puhoi to Warkworth four-lane highway is completed. It will bypass the growing township of Warkworth - one of the worst weekend holiday bottlenecks in the country.

Aucklanders making their way home from holiday spots in the Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty are experiencing a similar story - relativley free-flowing traffic until they reach the southern motorway around Drury.

HOLIDAY TRAFFIC: Traffic is expected to be busy both north and south of Auckland TODAY (Mon 26 Apr) as motorists return home following the long weekend. Check our holiday journey planner to find out where traffic is expected to be heavy: https://t.co/ZiRQAcap4P. ^MF pic.twitter.com/dR5wwm7B5b

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) April 25, 2021

Traffic is already banked up on SH2 between Waihi and Paeroa and expected to stay like that until 4pm.

It's a similar story in Wellington where heavy traffic and long-running roadworks will lead to a slow drive home from Otaki and down the Kāpiti Coast .

In the South Island, traffic is already heavy on SH1 in and out of Christchurch in both directions and motorists heading out of Akaroa can expect heavy traffic until 4pm.

Traffic is also busy or heavy between Nelson and Blenheim.

As people make their way home in the South Island, MetService has issued snow shower warnings near the summit at Arthur's Pass from 10am this morning to 2pm and the higher parts of the Milford Road from 10am to 6pm.

Snow is also forecast overnight on Porter's Pass between 1am and 7am near the summit.

The road toll for the holiday weekend, which began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am
on Tuesday, stands at one after a vehicle crashed into a power pole on SH1 at Awanui, north of Kaitaia, at 11.35pm on Friday.