Traffic is already building as Labour weekend holidaymakers return to Auckland, with delays on State Highway 1 before Wellsford.

Those planning to travel on SH1 south should expect delays due to a crash near Silverdale just before midday today.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency confirmed at 11.35am that the right southbound lane was blocked just after the Silverdale off-ramp, and drivers should take care passing.

Police work to clear a crash on Northern Motorway near Silverdale. Photo / Michael Cunningham

For holidaymakers leaving the Coromandel, traffic is heavy between Paeroa and Waihi.

The long weekend had a devastating start on Friday afternoon, and another deadly period on Saturday night causing significant delays.

When is the best time to travel on Labour Day?

Motorists are urged to give themselves enough time to reach their destinations as traffic starts to build, with many holidaymakers heading home after the long weekend.

Those heading northbound on State Highway 1 between Puhoi and Wellsford should expect free-flowing traffic for most of their trip.

For those who spent Labour weekend up north and are heading home southbound to Auckland or beyond, the heaviest traffic is expected between 10.30am and 6pm today on the new motorway.

Traffic will also be busy on SH1 from Kawakawa from 8.30am until 4.30pm if you’re heading southbound.

The rush begins a little later for those heading south from Whangārei, with the heaviest traffic expected between 10am until 7pm, peaking at midday.

Labour Weekend traffic was diverted through Waipū on Friday evening after a crash at the SH1 intersection closed the road, causing massive traffic tailbacks in both directions. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Traffic is expected to be busiest between 12pm and 7.30pm today for those heading north on SH1, Manukau to Bombay. If you’re heading south instead, you can expect free-flowing traffic for most of the trip.

Travelling southbound on SH25 in Tairua is likely to be congested for a long period beginning at 9am and easing at around 4pm.

Traffic will also be busy for those heading westbound on SH2 between Paeroa and Waihi, peaking between 11am and 4pm.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency senior road safety manager Fabian Marsh says as well as keeping safe around roadworks, motorists should also remember the basics.

“When you’re out on the roads this Labour Weekend, make safe choices to protect yourself and others. Be patient, drive at a safe speed, wear your seatbelt, don’t drink and drive, make sure you’re well rested and plan ahead.”

Waka Kotahi updated its Holiday Hotspots journey planning tool for Labour Weekend. The interactive traffic prediction map shows drivers where and when traffic is expected to be heaviest, based on travel patterns from previous years.

Labour Weekend road toll

A horror start to the Labour Day long weekend has seen New Zealand roads claim the lives of six people and injured multiple others.

The Labour Day road toll stands at three, with three other road deaths on Friday before the road toll period began.

The official 2023 Labour Day weekend holiday road toll began at 4pm on Friday, ending at 6am on Tuesday.

The most recent reported death was on Saturday night, when a cyclist died in Waititi, Dunedin.

Police said the crash was reported at around 6pm on Mt Cargill Rd. Emergency services attended but the cyclist died at the scene.

Earlier in the weekend, a pedestrian died after being struck by a vehicle in Waipapa, Northland.

The incident occurred around 3.30am on Saturday on Onekura Rd, with inquiries into the circumstances under way.

One person then died on Saturday afternoon in a single-vehicle accident on SH26 between Te Aroha and Paeroa.

In 2022, five people died over Labour weekend, with six deaths in 2021, eight in 2020, and two in 2019.

What is Labour Day?

Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim this right when, in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell won an eight-hour day in Wellington.

Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on October 28, 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend the parades and many businesses closed for at least part of the day.