All we want for Christmas is to avoid traffic — so here are the worst days to hit the roads before the holidays (and beyond).
Every Christmas involves a few traditional traditions. One of those is sitting in rush hour traffic along with everyone else trying to go on vacation.
Some days and times are usually worse than others for the holiday block, which is why the NZ Waka Kotahi Transport Agency (NZTA) has data released for when traffic is expected to be at its heaviest, based on travel patterns from past years.
Here are the dates to try and avoid traveling if you can.
Friday, December 22
One day has well and truly stood out for the traffic armageddon and that is the Friday before Christmas (December 22).
It makes sense that Christmas falls on Monday this year and that people probably want to use the weekend first to extend their vacation as long as possible.
Auckland’s freeways will all be blocked that day from about midday, including SH1 around Whangārei, SH1 between Taihape and Waiouru, SH1 between Ashburton and Christchurch, SH1 around Timaru, and SH6 in Queenstown.
For Wellington commuters, SH2 Remutaka Hill and SH1 north of Ōtaki are the areas likely to see the most congestion and delays.
This Friday will be too Air New Zealand’s busiest day to fly people around or out of the country, with 50,000 passengers booked to take then.
With the extra traffic on the roads that day, he will pay for leaving an obscene amount of time to get to the airport and through their security checks. Take however much time the most cautious member of your travel party thinks you need and then double it. Or triple it. Unless, of course, you like high blood pressure and yelling at your family while running through airports.
Saturday December 23rd
This Saturday also promises to be a traffic pain point in many areas, according to NZTA data.
State Highway 1 between Puhoi and Wellsford will have heavy northbound traffic for most of that day, while the Auckland Highway between Manukau and Bombay will likely be busy from around midday.
In Wellington, the Remutaka Hill is chosen to be occupied that morning.
Traffic woes are also expected for some popular holiday destinations, with heavy traffic for most of Saturday on both SH25 at Tairua and SH8 east of Wānaka.
Traffic delays are likely in the morning that day between Paeroa and Waihi and will also be a problem on SH29 around the Kaimai Range and on SH1 between Taihape and Waiouru.
Friday December 29th and Saturday December 30th
But wait, there’s more.
Once Christmas is out of the way, attention turns to end-of-year celebrations and NZTA data shows December 29 and 30 are traditionally busy on the roads, especially around the popular new year destinations.
State Highway 1 between Puhoi and Wellsford is busy with people heading north from Christmas until 30 December.
State Highway 25 around Tairua will be busy on Friday 29 December, as will SH8 near Wānaka.
Traffic is also expected to be heavy on Saturday 30 December between Taihape and Waiouru.
Tuesday, January 2
January 2nd is the last of the stat holidays for the Christmas holiday, so it’s no surprise that this day is historically busy with traffic as many people prepare to return to work.
Areas that will see particularly busy roads on that day include SH6 around Queenstown, although traffic is also expected to be bad there on January 3, 4 and 7. State Highway 8 southbound near Wānaka will also be busy on January 2.
The stretch of highway between Taihape and Waiouru will be bad for traffic again today, as will SH79 to Geraldine and SH73 to Arthur’s Pass.
A moratorium on road works
As usual, NZTA will stop road works for a set time during the holidays so as not to add to the traffic problems in the country.
He said the break from road works will last from 12pm on Thursday 21st December to 8pm on Wednesday 3rd January.
NZTA is also asking people to be patient while driving and give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going.
People can check NZTA journey planner for live information about the day they travel, too – so they can hit it safely and happily to their destination. (Excuse me.)
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