Major delays for holidaymakers

Motorists face traffic delays north of Auckland.

Traffic delays across the North Island continued this afternoon with traffic at a standstill in places.

Auckland driver Claire Dann said she was stuck in a 2km queue of northbound traffic at the Puhoi tunnel.

Dann was heading to Whangarei to spend the weekend with friends and said she had been stationary for 45 minutes.

"I am singing along to Cat Stevens to fill in the time and there are kids waiting on the side of the road. It's like a sauna in the car and there is no shade," she said.

Police continued to advise people travelling north to take State Highway 16 through Helensville instead of SH1 when possible.

Police in the Auckland region had dealt with a high number of vehicle breakdowns

Four breakdowns had been reported on the southbound lanes of the Southern Motorway.

Meanwhile, traffic in Wellington reached a standstill this morning as people tried to head north out the city.

Inspector Marty Parker said traffic on SH1 had reached a choke point near Pukerua Bay where a double-laned road merged into a single lane.

"Drivers are on good behaviour so we can't complain," he said.

Traffic was flowing steadily in Christchurch with people traveling toward Wanaka

Inspector John Doherty said police had received calls from drivers complaining about caravans and heavier vehicles not pulling over.

"It's about being reasonable on the road, you have to expect delays during the Easter break but we will also be taking it seriously if traffic is backed up behind an overly slow vehicle that won't pull over," he said.

- Newstalk ZB with APNZ