Holiday highway routes, many of which suffered cyclone damage, were expected to be packed from this morning with people setting off for the beginning of the school holidays.
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency encouraged motorists to plan their journeys ahead of time, especially in areas affected by recent severe weather.
“There are still many damaged sites with restrictions in place on several routes, and we’re urging people to allow plenty of time for their journeys, share the driving to avoid fatigue and be patient when traffic is heavy and there are delays,” Waka Kotahi director of land transport Kane Patena said.
Meanwhile, in Auckland, a shortage of crew members forced ferry operator Fullers to replace some services with Uber taxis and buses this weekend.
Fullers also warned daytrippers destined for Waiheke Island to prepare for busy sailings, especially with the Waiheke Jazz Festival and Good Friday Groove tomorrow.
Police would be out in full force in the Bay of Plenty, as acting road policing manager Inspector Stuart Nightingale urged motorists to drive safely and not get behind the wheel if they’d been drinking.
“Police are keen to see an Easter weekend without any serious crashes on our roads,” Nightingale said.
The Easter holiday road toll period starts at 4pm today and ends at 6am next Tuesday. Five people died on the nation’s roads during the holiday period last year, a marginal drop from seven in 2021.
MetService warns holidaymakers
MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan warned holidaymakers to follow forecasts closely, as current predictions about the subtropical low’s movements were uncertain.
“We do know to a reasonable degree places are ... likely to see some severe weather. The low-pressure system is evolving as it gets closer to us. It’s good to keep an eye on it, because the forecast is likely to change as we hone in on it.
“When we get a large amount of rain in a small amount of time, that can put a lot of stress on the land. We [could] see slips that can cause road closures,” Corrigan said.
Rivers could swell after rain fell in higher areas, and driving could become dangerous, with risks of surface flooding.
“There may well be a risk of thunderstorms with this at the moment, [but] thunderstorms are one of those things where you can forecast areas where there is a risk, but it’s difficult to say exactly where [they] will pop up.
“It’s certainly a ‘watch this space’ sort of thing. We get some of our heaviest rain intensities with thunderstorms, so they can definitely have an impact, for sure.”
Hauraki Gulf Weather said the subtropical low started to spin off the Australian coast and towards New Zealand yesterday.
