Traffic heading into Wellington is heavy tonight, as returning holidaymakers make a beat for the capital ahead of expected bad weather.
NZ Transport Agency spokesman Ewart Barnsley said roads all over the country were busy today, especially State Highway 1 between Warkworth and Grand Dr, Orewa, where traffic was moving slowly from late morning to mid afternoon.
"We don't quite know the reason for that. We're thinking that people may have decided that this is the day they are going to go on holiday,'' Mr Barnsley said.
The road includes a section that thins from four lanes to two, while the toll road portion of the drive would normally carry 19,000 vehicles a day during the holiday period, up from the usual 15,000. Elsewhere, there was congestion about midday at Pearoa and Waihi.
