Detours will in place along State Highway 1 near Taupiri this morning, to detour traffic around the township during the funeral for King Tuheitia's father Whatumoana Paki who died early on Friday morning.
Detours are expected to be in place from 10:00 a.m. this morning until around 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. The detour length is short and not to dissimilar from the SH1 distance with southbound traffic detoured at Huntly to Ngaruawahia, and northbound traffic detoured at Ngaruawahia to Huntly. State Highway 1B traffic will also be detoured just south of Taupiri and directed via the detour route.
Traffic as far south as Tirau will be advised of the potential delays via message boards and recommended to take alternative routes to Auckland using SH27 and SH2.
Through traffic can expect delays of up to 30 minutes, particularly during a full closure of the highway for 15 minutes following the funeral, to allow the funeral procession to pass.
