The swan responsible for holding up peak hour traffic in Auckland has had to be put down.
A swan on the Northern Motorway. Photo: Twitter / @NZTAAkl
The swan had caused delays on a major motorway north of Auckland this morning before being moved along by police.
In a tweet this morning, NZTA said people should allow extra time for delays on Oteha Valley Road after the bird blocked the Northern Motorway's southern lanes after Greville Road.
Constable Clay McCarthy was called to the scene about 7.15am.
He said the swan moved to the left shoulder of the motorway after initially refusing to budge from the southbound lanes.
Mr McCarthy said the swan was bleeding and appeared confused. He suspected it had been clipped by a car.
He said a staff member from Auckland Zoo happened to be on the same stretch of road and offered to take the swan to a vet.
Veterinary Services manager Dr James Chatterton said the swan had to be euthanised.
"This swan was extremely emaciated and chronically diseased, which is why it would have not been able to get itself off the motorway," he said.
"Because of its diseased condition - which was not curable, the kindest and only option was to euthanise it."