KEY POINTS:
Traffic chaos hit the North Island yesterday as holidaymakers headed for the coast to ring in the New Year.
Motorists suffered frustrating queues, reportedly waiting up to 75 minutes to cross the one-way Kopu Bridge near Thames.
Motorists heading north were also caught up in heavy traffic on State Highway 1 in the Silverdale, Orewa and Puhoi areas. Drivers also complained of big snarl-ups in the Tauranga area.
But Transit New Zealand's acting regional manager Kaye Clark said none of the jams was caused by major incidents.
"It's normal holiday traffic," she said last night.
"There are usually delays on the Kopu Bridge. We ask road users to stagger their trips on the bridge's busiest day of the year - Thames race day on January 4."
Inspector Earl McIntosh of the police northern communications centre said no major traffic incidents or accidents were reported yesterday.
Police had attended "a few crashes" during the day but nothing major. "That's not to say traffic isn't heavy," he said.
