The Warbirds over Wanaka event attracts tens of thousands of visitors over the Easter weekend and this makes Central Otago a hotspot for travel and holidaymakers even more than usual.
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Otago/Southland journey manager Nicole Felts said, in a statement, ‘‘every two years we see people travelling from around the country, and even from beyond New Zealand, to Wanaka to see the warbirds and classic aircraft in action’’.
‘‘It means busy roads leading in and out of Wanaka for the event, but also around Queenstown and other popular tourist regional attractions that people want to take in over the long weekend.
‘‘There’s no secret about the things people can do to keep themselves safe on the roads — it’s just about putting them into action.
‘‘Avoid drink-driving and speeding, get enough rest before travelling and stop and take a break if fatigue sets in, and drive to the conditions that are in front of you.
‘‘We can all get frustrated when stuck in queues or seeing poor driving behaviour around us, but staying composed and patient is also important.’’
While NZTA’s roadworks will generally pause over the holiday weekend, the wet summer just experienced means there is now a squeeze on the schedule of activities remaining to fit into the current maintenance and construction season.
NZTA central South Island area manager Mark Pinner said, in a statement, outside of the long Easter weekend people could expect to encounter more roadworks than usual in some parts of the South Island until the end of April.
‘‘When you strike delays at several work sites over a long journey, this can have a significant impact on people’s travel time, so we do encourage people to consider this, and to allow more time and plan ahead by using our Journey Planner tool,’’ Mr Pinner said.
‘‘We appreciate that having to repeatedly slow down, detour or stop at work sites can be frustrating, but we need to take advantage while the weather is warmer to get repairs and upgrades to the highways done for the benefit of all those who use the roads.’’
Plan for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with traffic updates online via journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
