Two men arrested after separate Easter weekend pursuits in Northland

Motorists form queues heading through roadworks south of Whangarei on Easter Monday. Photo / Tania Whyte

A police pursuit which finished with a car on fire and a man arrested in a paddock was the major incident in an otherwise incident-free Easter weekend on Northland roads.

Police said the pursuit of a silver Mazda started on Western Hills Drive, Whangarei, about 6.30pm on Friday.

The pursuit was abandoned on Fairway Drive, but the vehicle was spotted shortly after by police in Ruatangata before being lost again.

About 7pm the vehicle was discovered on fire on Aponga Rd, and a man believed to be the driver was seen running away.

After a foot chase through farmland, a man was arrested near Puketitoi Rd and faces driving-related charges.

It was unclear if the vehicle was stolen or if the fire was deliberately lit.

In a second pursuit on Friday night, a man on a Harley Davidson motorcycle was arrested after a short pursuit on Otaika Valley Rd.

The man initially failed to stop for police but later pulled over.

He was charged with failing to stop and dangerous driving and his motorcycle was impounded.

Northland road policing Senior Sergeant Ian Row thanked motorists for their patience and their courtesy over the long weekend.

He said there had been a lot of visitors and a "massive" amount of traffic - with Friday being a particularly busy day.

"There were no serious crashes and no fatal crashes."

On Friday, there was a backlog of traffic from Kawakawa back to the passing lanes at Waiomio for northbound traffic.

Row said it didn't cause any crashes but motorists were delayed.

There were also queues heading south yesterday as people returned from the holiday weekend.

At 1.30pm police said traffic was backed up on State Highway 1 from the Mangapai Rd junction to Lookout Hill south of Whangarei because of roadworks at Oakleigh.

Earlier, at 10.30am yesterday, traffic was reduced to one lane in both directions on Western Hills Drive after a minor crash involving two cars. Two ambulances attended the scene but no one was injured.

Overall, Row said driver behaviour in Northland over the weekend was good.

"Long may it last."