Congestion is building on Auckland’s Southern Motorway as holidaymakers head off for New Year’s celebrations, with key routes to popular holiday hotspots starting to clog.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advised motorists to plan ahead and allow extra time when travelling this afternoon, as several chokepoints along the holiday highway are experiencing queues of gridlocked traffic.

In particular, NZTA warned of significant delays for holidaymakers travelling southbound on SH1 between Takanini and Drury.

Holiday traffic is also causing delays southbound on SH1 in Waikato between Hamilton and Tīrau.

Lengthy traffic queue on the Southern Motorway. Photo / NZTA

The NZTA traffic dashboard indicated the route from Bombay to Auckland City on SH1 will take 14 minutes longer than usual.

The route from Auckland City to Bombay via SH1/SH20/SH16 will take about 20 minutes longer.

Despite the delays and crashes typical during the holiday period, New Zealand’s annual road toll is trending lower, with 2025 on track to be among the lowest totals in decades.

As of this morning – with two days left of the year – the provisional toll sat at 269; if it remains below 272, it would be the second-lowest annual total since 1951.