Crashes cause delays in Christmas traffic across North Island

With thousands of New Zealanders heading out today to their Christmas destinations, airports and roads are teeming with people travelling the country and people are advised to prepare in advance so they don’t get stuck.

Two lanes have reopened on State Highway 1 in Rongotea, near Soldiers Road in the Manawatū after a serious two-vehicle crash yesterday afternoon.

A police spokesperson said the crash was reported about 4.40pm and initial indications suggest at least one person was seriously injured.

FINAL UPDATE 8:10PM
SH1 has now RE-OPENED south of Sanson following a crash. Thank you for your patience. ^CS https://t.co/6AQgww2ALB

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Central North Island (@WakaKotahiCNI) December 22, 2023

An earlier crash yesterday between two trucks on Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway caused traffic to back up, blocking the right southbound lane and partially blocking the left as well.

A reporter at the scene could see the driver of one of the trucks sitting on the side of the motorway.

A crash blocked the right southbound lane and partially blocked the left southbound lane on Auckland's Southwestern Motorway near Massey and Puhinui Rds. Photo / Elizabeth Binning

The incident has been cleared, but NZTA Waka Kotahi is advising motorists to prepare for delays.

UPDATE 2:25PM
This has been cleared, all lanes here are OPEN. Continue to expect delays. ^MS https://t.co/qxDzqFXR3W

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) December 22, 2023

Meanwhile, a crash that had blocked the left two lanes of Auckland’s SH1/Southern Motorway near the Market Road off-ramp has been cleared.

SH1 SOUTHERN MWY - FINAL UPDATE - 4:20PM
This has been cleared, all lanes here are OPEN. Expect some residual delays. ^MS https://t.co/JEyWga4KkU

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) December 22, 2023

Traffic moved no faster than 10km/h from Penrose to Greenlane on Friday. Photo / George Block

In Remuera, a person was injured in a crash on the Southern Motorway.

The person was taken to hospital in a serious condition and one northbound lane was closed.

A crashed Tesla on the northbound lanes of SH1 just past Market Rd in Auckland. Photo / George Block

A crashed Tesla on the northbound lanes of SH1 just past Market Rd in Auckland. Photo / George Block

Another Friday-morning crash on State Highway 45 in Taranaki closed the road at the intersection with Paora Road.

The Serious Crash Unit attended, stop/go traffic management was in place and a speed limit of 30km/h was in force.

NZTA has confirmed SH45 is now fully open.

In Wellington, SH58 near Haywards was briefly blocked eastbound by another crash. The crash has been cleared, but anyone travelling towards the Hutt Valley should take extra care.

Traffic chaos was also reported at NorthWest shopping centre in West Auckland as one shopper told the Herald she sat in her car for 45 minutes as cars around her moved 100m in 30 minutes.

“I think the mix of Costco, Christmas and people exiting the mall have snarled up where drivers are trying to leave,” she said.

How to skip Christmas queues at the airport

Airports are also preparing for thousands of New Zealanders to fly all over the country for their celebrations, meaning travel will be busier than ever.

Yesterday was expected to be the busiest day of the year to travel by plane, and airports were warning holidaymakers to prepare for delays.

Air New Zealand says it is expecting to carry more than a million domestic passengers and almost as many international travellers over the holiday travel period.

During the bumper holiday period between Friday and January 31, the national carrier will ferry an additional 700,000 passengers through international terminals.

A spokesperson for Auckland Airport told the Herald it had been so far, so good at the airport during the peak travel period.

Thousands of New Zealanders are flying home for Christmas and Auckland Airport was expected to have its busiest day on Friday. Photo / Alex Burton

“With 50,000 travellers flying in and out of the airport today, there has been a really good mood and it has been heart-warming to see family reunited for the holidays.”

Heidi Walker, general manager of Flight Centre, says there are a few ways people can make sure they don’t get stuck in unnecessary queues.

One way to move faster is to travel with only hand luggage, but people should be careful they don’t get caught out carrying things they shouldn’t.

Travel light to get to your destination faster. Photo / 123rf

“The last thing we want is for Kiwis to be held up with security checks or have their precious Christmas gifts confiscated, so it’s important to double-check all items are allowed in your hand luggage before you get to the airport,” Walker says.

Common sense would tell people to leave the knife sets and dartboards in checked bags, but it would also pay to check your airline allows you to fly with more-innocuous things like Christmas crackers or golf clubs.

It’s also smart to leave your Christmas presents unwrapped until you reach your destination becuase airport staff may need to check their contents, meaning all your hard work Sellotaping would be undone in the security line rather than under the tree on Christmas morning.

With airports busier than usual, it’s crucial travellers check the size and weight of their carry-on bags too. Walker recommends measuring a bag’s length, width and height, including any wheels and packed-away handles, and making sure your combined carry-on items weigh less than 7kg in total.

The busiest domestic route this holiday will be Auckland to Christchurch, followed by Auckland to Wellington and then Queenstown as Kiwis escape the city for a well-deserved summer holiday. Meanwhile, Nelson remains the busiest destination for regional airlink services.

How to skip the traffic jams before Christmas

For Kiwis who prefer to drive rather than fly, the roads, too, will be teeming.

Starting at the top of the country in Whangārei, the NZTA map predicts SH1 northbound will see heavy use between 11am and 6pm most days of the Christmas period.

Traffic willstay heavy into December 29. From there, it will probably be calmer for five days until January 6, when it is sure to increase again.

Moving down the country to Auckland, SH1 northbound between Manukau and Bombay is expected to be busiest in the New Year, between January 2 and 6.

There will also be passing-lane closures on SH2 at Maramarua because of safety concerns around the high volume of traffic expected.

For those travelling south, the motorway would be busiest between 9am and 3pm from today to December 29.

It pays to get on the road early to skip the queues. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Wellington roads will be relatively quiet, with the heaviest area for traffic expected to be SH2 between Pekapeka and Ōtaki.

AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen is warning motorists to stick to the speed limits because the summer holidays are a peak time for car crashes.

“Summer is the busiest time on our roads, which makes it a riskier time for crashes. We expect the police to be out in force on the roads from this point on, meaning if you are breaking the rules, you are more likely to be caught,” Thomsen says.

Trains running slowly due to heat

Public transport is also running slowly as the summer heat sets in. Speed restrictions have needed to be put in place in Auckland and Wellington to stop the tracks from warping under the sun.

A KiwiRail spokesperson told the Herald speed limits need to be put in place when the track temperature exceeds 40C.

The limit of 40km/h will stay in place until the track has cooled enough to avoid warping.

“This is a common occurrence over summer and restrictions can reach late into the evening during the hotter, midsummer days.”

The Auckland train lines will be closed for a chunk of the holiday season as teams work on the tracks.

All lines will close from Boxing Day until January 14, with the Western line remaining closed until January 19.

Waitematā Station (Britomart) will also be closed until January 21, while CRL teams undertake necessary track work.

In Wellington, the track will be closed to commuter trains from December 26 until January 7, with the Wairarapa Line staying closed until January 14.