“This year may be slightly different to other summers given the larger numbers of Kiwi travellers,” says Nicole Felts, Waka Kotahi Journey Manager for Southland and Otago. “But we know that people will still travel more on particular days and at particular times. Our Hotspots maps can help keep everyone’s stress levels down.”

For example: Queenstown’s SH6 eastbound (leaving Queenstown) is likely to be busiest on New Year’s Day and 2 January, mid-morning to the afternoon. Coming towards Queenstown (westbound) the highway tends to be busiest two days out from New Year’s Eve – Wednesday, 29 December.

What the Hotspots charts look like:

Other South Island “hotspots” include Motueka, in Golden Bay, SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson, the key highways out of Christchurch, SH79 through Geraldine and SH8 east of Wanaka.

• The Tākaka Hill road, SH60, is now open to two lanes after nearly four years single laned following Cyclone Gita.
• The Kaikōura highway, SH1, has many safe stopping areas to the north and south with cultural and historical stories at the Pou sites.

By checking with the Holiday Journey Planner Hotspots map, travellers can plan to avoid the peak congestion times or work around them, says Miss Felts.

“Everyone is tired this year, so we encourage people to be well rested before a big trip and share the driving if possible. Take plenty of breaks, stop for snacks and drinks and start your holiday on the way,” she says.

The Holiday Journey Planner tool shows predicted traffic conditions for popular routes over Christmas and New Year’s based on travel patterns from previous years.

• Holiday Journey Planner/ Hotspots: www.nzta.govt.nz/hotspots

The holiday shut-down of active work sites

To help ease holiday congestion, Waka Kotahi work sites close down ahead of the Christmas/New Year break to minimise disruption to people’s journeys and ensure crews also get a decent spell with their families and friends.

• This year the moratorium runs from midday Thursday, 23 December, 2021 to 9 am Wednesday, 5 January, 2022. Highway contracting crews will continue to be available for emergency responses.

Simple tips for safer travel

Tresca Forrester, Waka Kotahi Journey Manager for Canterbury, the West Coast and Top of the South says people should not underestimate taking some simple actions to stay safe when they travel long distances.

“That means checking your car is safe before your journey, keeping your speed down, always driving sober, watching for the signs of fatigue and sharing the driving.

“Be patient, so everyone can relax and enjoy the holidays together. Remember, you’re on holiday, there’s no need to rush.”

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• COVID-19 services update: govt.nz/COVID19
• Traffic updates: nzta.govt.nz/traffic
• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTASouthIsland
• Twitter Top of the South: twitter.com/WakaKotahiTOTS
• Twitter Canterbury/West Coast: twitter.com/WakaKotahiCWC
• Twitter Otago/Southland: twitter.com/WakaKotahiOS
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

Director of Regional Relationships, James Caygill, acknowledged it would be disappointing for the local community to hear that work on the coastal seawall will not be included in the current works contract, which will be awarded this month.

“Around the country we are having to deal with increasing costs and so are re-scoping works to meet budget constraints. The re-scoped project will provide protection works at Ngakawau River bridge and complete the design and consenting stages for the Granity seawall between Granity and Ngakawau.”

He said that while the consenting for the entire project would be completed, the only funding certainty was for the bridge abutment work, which could be completed within budget.

Ongoing monitoring of the temporary beach embankment would also continue.

The road will be closed from 9pm on Sunday until 4am on Monday 10 January 2022, to allow crews to safely complete essential maintenance work.

This is the first of the night-time maintenance closures of the hill scheduled from January to June 2022.

The Remutaka Hill road is steep, narrow and winding which makes it a challenging environment to work in. Fully closing the road at night increases safety for workers and motorists, significantly reduces the number of stop/go works at other, busier times and enables better quality maintenance work.

Motorists are advised to plan their travel outside the closure hours. An escorted vehicle service is available for shift workers and others with light vehicles who have no option but to cross the Remutaka Hill during the closure.

Bookings are essential as numbers are limited for motorists’ safety and the safety of workers at multiple sites across the hill and should be done by Friday 7 January at email hidden; JavaScript is required

Access will be available for emergency services throughout the closure.

The work will take place under the Covid-19 health and safety protocols to keep workers and road users safe. While the dates are fixed, bad weather or Covid-19 restrictions may cause works to be cancelled, possibly at short notice.

Planned closures up to June 2022 below:

“It’s been another long and stressful year and we know many people will be heading off on their well-deserved holidays over the coming days,” Regional Maintenance and Operations Manager Mark Owen says.

“Traffic will be busy over the Christmas and New Year period, particularly on State Highway 1 in and out of Wellington. Congestion and delays are inevitable at peak times, so people may like to consider avoiding travel during these times to make their journey safer and more enjoyable.”

Waka Kotahi has updated the online holiday journeys traffic prediction tool which shows predicted traffic flow over the Christmas and New Year holiday, based on previous year’s travel patterns. This handy ‘trip hack’ can help people plan their journeys and avoid delays.

State Highway 1 heading north out of Wellington is expected to busiest on Christmas Eve, for most of the day but particularly between 10am and 3pm. Monday 27 December is also expected to be particularly busy for most of the day, with heavy traffic starting from about 9am through to 6pm.

For people heading north on State Highway 2 over the Remutaka Hill, traffic is also expected to be busy over the Christmas and New Year period, particularly between 10am and 3pm most days.

“We want everyone to get to their destinations safely. More cars on the road, tired drivers and people driving on unfamiliar roads can make holiday driving stressful and risky. But there are simple things we can all do to stay safe,” Mr Owen says.

“We encourage everyone to check their car is safe before heading off, keep speeds down, drive sober, watch for signs of fatigue and share the driving, if possible.

“Always drive to the conditions, which can change quickly. Check the weather forecast before leaving home, as well as our real-time traffic updates for any incidents or closures.”

Tips for safe driving on your summer holiday:

Drive to the conditions, allow plenty of time and take regular breaks to stay alert.

• Be patient when driving this summer so everyone can relax and enjoy the holidays together.
• Keep a safe following distance from vehicles in front so you can stop safely.
• Drive to the conditions – whether it’s the weather, the road you’re on, the time of day or the volume of traffic on the roads.
• Take regular breaks to stay alert.
• Allow plenty of time. You’re on holiday, no need to rush.

Vehicle safety:

• Your vehicle must be safe to drive before you set off on your summer holiday.
• Check that the Warrant of Fitness or Certificate of Fitness is up-to-date on any vehicle you plan to drive, including rentals.
• There are basic checks you can do yourself, including:
  • Tyres – minimum tread is 1.5mm but the more tread, the better the grip.
  • Lights – check lights work so your vehicle is visible in poor light.
  • Indicators – ensure all indicators work so people know which direction you are moving.
  • Windscreen and wipers – check for wear and tear so you can see the road safely.

For more information on self-checks, visit our website at nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/choosing-the-right-vehicle/check-your-car-safety-basics/

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• COVID-19 services update: nzta.govt.nz/COVID19
• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/wellington
• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAWgtn
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiWgtn
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/wellington
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency project, by its highway contractor Highways South, will involve rehabilitating the width of SH1/Tay St from Mary St to approximately 270 Tay St – about 100 metres.

The work will shut this section of highway to all traffic for 11 days from Tuesday, 11 January to Friday, 21st January, 2022. Detours will be well signposted.

This work will be completed during the day with no nightworks scheduled, says Jacob Manson, Network Manager for Waka Kotahi in Southland.

“The closure significantly improves the safety for our staff and maintenance contractors doing the road work, while allowing us to focus on work quality leading to better journeys for road users,” says Mr Manson. “By concentrating this work in fewer days, we can minimise the overall disruption to retailers, residents and road users. Otherwise there would be three to four weeks disruption with a single lane closure throughout.”

Retailers in the area have been spoken to and alternative access-ways are being negotiated so people will still be able to get to the businesses and residents can park outside the area and walk to their homes.

“We will do our best to minimise the impact on local businesses and people’s access to them and to people’s homes as agreed in our community consultation,” says Mr Manson.

• Waka Kotahi and Highways South will update social media sites in January and people can check the traffic and travel highways map for any updates on this work: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/regions/14

Motorists are advised that the work, which includes barrier upgrades and resurfacing, will take place on the northbound clip-on lanes (lane 1&2) from; 4am December 26 to 5am January 9 2022.

The bridge lanes will be reformatted to ensure three lanes remain open across the Harbour Bridge at all times.

“This essential maintenance work helps keep the harbour bridge in an optimum condition, and provides a smoother, safer journey for motorists,” says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Auckland System Interim Manager Paul Geck.

“We expect all lanes to be open by the time most people return from their holiday.”

Waka Kotahi would like people to keep in mind that the resurfacing process used on the bridge requires three to five days to “cure” before traffic can drive on it. While this may look like nothing is happening, the team will be carrying out other maintenance tasks out of sight.

The work will involve closures on the following on and off-ramps:

• The Curran Road on-ramp will be closed. Detour to Fanshawe Street on-ramp will be signposted. 
• The Stafford Street off-ramp will be open to emergency services only. Detour to Onewa Road off-ramp will be signposted for all other vehicles. 

Road users are encouraged to consider alternative routes such as the

northwestern motorway (SH16) and State Highway 18 (SH18).

Please note that this work is weather dependent and dates may shift, but any change will be communicated clearly.

For more information please contact email hidden; JavaScript is required or call 0800 444 449.