Fog clearing after flights cancelled and delayed at Auckland airport

More than 70 domestic flights to and from Auckland Airport have been delayed or cancelled as fog creates chaos for hundreds of passengers.

Fog is finally starting to lift at the Mangere airport some four hours after it rolled in.

Forty-four flights between Auckland and Tauranga, Palmerston North, Napier, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Nelson, Whangarei, Gisborne, Taupo and the Bay of Islands have been cancelled.

A further 30 other flights between the city and Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Kaitaia, Whakatane, Whanganui, Great Barrier Island and the Kapiti Coast have been delayed - in many cases by more than three hours.

Another foggy day! Auckland was blanketed this morning - it's cleared over much of the city, but fog remains at the airport. ^AH pic.twitter.com/iDipNZI7px

— MetService (@MetService) May 31, 2017

Auckland Airport said fog restrictions were lifted just before 10.30am.

An Air NZ flight from Blenheim that was due in Auckland at 7.30am was diverted to Tauranga, and a Jetstar flight from Nelson due at 7.55am went to Palmerston North.

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The NZ Transport Agency warned the city's drivers to keep their headlights on and take care on the roads.

#AklTraffic building in usual places today. Please allow a good following distance & watch for a bit of fog around this morning ^TP pic.twitter.com/O3avbThTZS

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) May 31, 2017

Airport operations supervisor Sam Cook said fog restrictions were put in place shortly after 6am.

"It escalated quite quickly this morning," he said.

International flights are operating as normal.

Passengers should check www.aucklandairport.co.nz or the airport's iPhone app for the latest flight arrival and departure information.

It's the third time in a week fog has gounded flights in and out of the Queen City.

Auckland Transport tweeted that ferry services were likely to be delayed.

Due to heavy fog on the harbour this morning, please expect some delays to ferry services. ^NW pic.twitter.com/IYjQT6SJEB

— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) May 31, 2017

A Herald reader who travelled into the CBD this morning from West Auckland said the city looked "ghostly", shrouded in a thick blanket of fog.

Police reported only one apparent fog-related crash on the roads, when a car hit two parked cars in Riversdale Rd, Avondale, about 7.30am. The driver was treated for minor injuries.