Pack the snacks and charge the devices, motorists are heading for a slow crawl out of the city as holidaymakers head north and south for the Matariki long weekend.

Those travelling south already face journeys nearly three times longer, and motorists on State Highway 20′s Southwestern Motorway in Auckland were warned just before 2pm to “pass with extra care and expect delays” after debris blocked the left northbound lane between Cavendish Drive and Puhinui Rd.

The news was better for Northland-bound travellers, with SH1 over the Brynderwyn Hills reopening last night after a planned nine-week closure for Cyclone Gabrielle repairs doubled after further serious slips in April.

As of 2.30pm, southbound journeys out of Auckland were taking almost three times as long as when traffic is free-flowing, with the city to Bombay route via SH1 taking an hour and 22 minutes, compared with 30 minutes, according to NZTA Waka Kotahi’s live traffic tracker.

That’s not surprising, given the national transport agency’s holiday journeys’ planner pegged Auckland’s southern exit as likely to be the city’s most congested this afternoon, with the heaviest traffic between Manukau and Bombay expected to continue in southbound lanes until 6.30pm, and to remain busy an hour beyond that.

Those going to Auckland Airport should also plan ahead, with road journeys from the city taking noticeably longer than in free-flowing traffic as of 2.30pm, according to NZTA.

City to airport journeys via SH16 and SH20 are taking 33 minutes, up from 19 minutes off-peak, while the SH1/SH20/SH20B route from central Auckland to the airport is best avoided, with the 58-minute journey three times longer than when traffic is free-flowing.

It’s less nightmarish for those travelling north into Auckland, but travellers still need to pack some patience, with journeys from Bombay to the city via SH1 taking 43 minutes, up 15 minutes.

That route’s expected to be busiest from 2pm to 6pm today, according to the holiday journeys’ planner, based on travel patterns from previous years.

The real go-slow for northbound travellers on our main highway was expected between Kaipara Flats and Pukerito, north of Auckland, where traffic was expected to be heaviest until 5pm.

Journeys from Silverdale to Wellsford on SH1 were taking 42 minutes at 2.30pm, up from 36 minutes off-peak.

Those travelling north on to Whangārei were warned traffic was expected to be heaviest northbound on SH1 through Auckland from 2.30pm to 6pm. Motorists could also expect busy traffic conditions southbound through the city until 6pm.

Bay of Plenty, Wellington traffic

Motorists should enjoy a mostly clear run beyond Auckland’s southern limits, with no congestion expected for those turning east to Coromandel Peninsula on SH2, according to the NZTA holiday journeys’ planner.

But SH2 was expected to be busy for those travelling east between Paeroa and Waihī until 6pm, and again southbound between Katikati and Tauranga until 7pm.

In the lower North Island, the worst traffic was expected northbound on SH2 between Silverstream and Upper Hutt from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

South Island traffic

In the South Island, the only travel headaches today were expected for those going north and south on SH1 between Ashburton and Christchurch. The highway in both directions is likely to be busy until 6.30pm, with the heaviest traffic between 4pm and 6pm, according to NZTA.

Traffic was also expected to be busy on SH1 through Timaru until around 5pm and on SH6 to Queenstown until about 6pm.

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.