With severe weather on the cards ahead of the busy Easter holiday period, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is advising road users in Northland, to be prepared and take extra care on the roads.

Heavy rain and strong winds are forecast, with gusts potentially reaching up to 140km/h. MetService has issued a severe weather warning from 3am Wednesday 16 April until 8pm Thursday 17 April for the region.

With school holidays and Easter approaching, it’s a busier than usual time on our roads, but Northland Journey Manger for NZTA, Kingston Brands, urges motorists to only travel if necessary.

“If you need to travel, allow extra time for your journey. Slow down and keep a safe following distance from the vehicle in front. Keep your headlights on to increase visibility.

“Essentially, the message is - be ready for difficult driving conditions. There’s the potential for surface flooding and slips. Anticipate that there could be trees or debris on the road just around the next corner. There’s also a risk of downed powerlines – so expect the unexpected.”

Road users should also take note of road rebuilds on State Highway 1 (SH1) at Whakapara, near Puhipuhi Road and at Akerama, near Hukerenui. On State Highway 10, NZTA has works in Taipa near the Taipa Bridge. Contractors will reduce their activities to keep themselves safe and mitigate delays, resuming full work once the weather improves.

“Please adhere to temporary speed limits and follow the directions of traffic management in work zones, even if you can’t see active work underway. It is there for your protection, the protection of workers and other motorists. This is especially important in poor weather,” Mr Brands says.

The front will be moving down to Auckland tomorrow evening, where the city will experience strong winds and rain, with a MetService orange warning in place until Friday morning for the city.

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