Journeys to holiday destinations on Saturday, and for the rest of the weekend are likely to be long and arduous.
But heavy traffic flows that clogged highways in the Paeroa-Coromandel area are easing.
At one stage a 10-kilometre line of vehicles was queued to cross the Kopu Bridge. Police says that's eased and although traffic's still described as heavy, it's flowing.
Congested traffic heading north from Auckland has also eased.
People heading for spots in the Northland, Waikato and Coromandel can all expect long delays.
Heavy traffic congestion's led to police asking motorists to take alternative routes in the Waikato-Coromandel.
The main highway from Auckland to Paeroa, State Highway Two ,is clogged and they want motorists to turn into Hubbard Road and then left turn onto State Highway 26.
Holiday traffic heading north from Auckland is slow moving and the queue on State Highway One is stacked up for a kilometre north of the Silverdale onramp.
Police advise motorists to take State Highway 16 instead.
Traffic's congested in both directions between Waikanae and Otaki area north of Wellington.
Traffic is also crawling towards the Orewa bottleneck, at the far end of Auckland's Northern Motorway.
Meanwhile, in the lower North Island, traffic is slow north and south bound on State Highway One between Waikanae and Otaki, and starting to build on the Desert Road in both directions.
Police are urging drivers to be patient - or delay their travel.
There have already been reports of tailgating, dangerous overtaking, and aggressive motorists cutting off other traffic.
