Watch: Stolen vehicle drives wrong way up busy Auckland motorway

A stolen vehicle has been caught on video driving the wrong way up a busy Auckland motorway.

The footage, posted to the Manurewa Spread the News Public Facebook page, shows a dark coloured SUV driving into oncoming traffic on the Southwestern Motorway, shortly after 5pm today.

The woman who took the video said cars had to swerve out of the way as the vehicle drove for quite a distance along State Highway 20, in the Wiri region.

The driver then stopped the vehicle on the side of the highway, and fled on foot, the witness said.

Still from video of a car driving the wrong way on the Southwestern Motorway. Video credit / Abbey Jaz Hutchison

A Police spokeswoman said they received multiple reports, and officers witnessed the stolen vehicle entering the motorway before it began driving in the opposite direction of traffic.

"Police followed the vehicle but shortly abandoned [the pursuit] due to its manor of driving.

"The vehicle was found abandoned in the Rosscommon area. Police have yet to locate the driver," she said.

The spokeswoman said the vehicle was stolen from the Mangere area.

"[Police are] unsure on details of the driver at this stage however our enquiries are ongoing," she said.