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NZTA / Supplied
Traffic is heavy at the junction of Auckland’s South and Southwest motorways.
Traffic on Auckland’s South Expressway is heavily congested following a series of crashes involving multiple cars.
Follow warnings from travel authorities to be careful on the roads during Labor weekend, Auckland’s first long weekend since lockdown restrictions were lifted.
There have been at least four crashes on State Highway 1 in Auckland since 10 a.m., Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Dallas Ramsay said.
One of those crashes, between Great South Rd and Hill Rd, involved six vehicles, he said. One person reportedly sustained neck injuries.
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Another accident on the highway between Great South Rd in Takanini involved four vehicles, however, no injuries were reported.
As a result, traffic was slowing down the southbound lanes of the South Highway between Manukau and Takanini around 11 a.m. M.
There was also a lot of traffic on the South Freeway near Epsom, following another four-car accident between Gillies Ave and Market Rd.
One person suffered a hand injury in the accident while another complained of chest pain, Ramsay said.
Google Maps showed that the 31-kilometer trip from the CBD to Takanini was taking around 40 minutes, twice what it usually takes.
A fourth accident, heading south on the North Freeway near Onewa Rd, was causing delays on Northcote Rd.
Further north, SH1 was heavily congested between Waiwera and Pūhoi, a heavy traffic hotspot on long weekends.
Canterbury emergency services were also busy following a fatal accident on Tekapo-Twizel Rd (SH8) near Lake Tekapo Township.
A police statement said two cars were involved in the accident around 9 a.m. It is not yet known if there are injuries.
“The road is blocked and long delays are expected,” the statement said.
Motorists should consider detouring through Waimate toward Kurow, he said.
NZTA / Supplied
Traffic is heavy heading south on the North Auckland Expressway near Northcote Rd after an accident on Onewa Rd.
The official Labor Weekend toll is two, following the Gisborne and Upper Hutt crashes.
The figure of one in 2019 was the lowest since records began in 1956 and equates to the previous lowest number of deaths, which was recorded in 2013.
The highest recorded death toll is 16, which was recorded in 1978.
