Protesters blocked the southbound of lane State Highway 1 at the Terrace Tunnel in Wellington Photo:
Protesters blocked the southbound of lane State Highway 1 at the Terrace Tunnel during Monday morning's rush hour traffic in Wellington.
Four protesters from the Restore Passenger Rail group sat across the lane just after 8am.
Irate motorists tore a banner from the protesters' hands and berated the group ahead of police arriving on the scene.
Police used acetone to free two of the group who had glued their hands to the road surface.
Four were arrested and police later said charges were being considered against them.
Police removing two protesters who glued their hands to the southbound lanes of the motorway at the Terrace Tunnel, Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman
Northbound lanes near the tunnel were also partially blocked, and police and Waka Kotahi had advised motorists to avoid the area.
While lying prone on the road, the last protester to be removed, Jen Olsen, said the government's lack of meaningful climate action had led her to participate in the demonstration.
"The police are just taking their time to soften the glue. It's not very comfortable I can tell you," Olsen said.
Southbound traffic backing up during the protest, while northbound traffic was also moving slowly. Photo: Waka Kotahi NZTA Wellington
The last protester was removed from the road just before 9am and the motorway reopened.
The group is the same organisation that carried out a three-week campaign of disruption in the capital late last year.
Multiple protesters were arrested after they disrupted traffic in Transmission Gully, the Terrace Tunnel, Mt Victoria Tunnel, and SH2 near Johnsonville and near Lower Hutt.
Several protesters sat on the motorway. Photo:
Restore Passenger Rail group spokesperson James Cockle said they had returned to Wellington in desperation because the government had ignored their previous demonstrations.
"The government clearly hasn't listened. What else can we do? The government's climate policy bonfire is a kick to the people of New Zealand," Cockle said.
A line of traffic at the entrance to the motorway tunnel. Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman
In statement released during the protest, the group said they were not acting alone.
They said activists in Sweden, Germany, England and the USA would sit down on motorways over the next week to highlight the effect transport emissions were having on the climate.
One of the motorists who confronted the protesters said he was concerned about the environment but felt the group's actions were hurting the wrong people.
He described himself as working in traffic management but preferred not to be named.
"We've all got money to be made, children to feed, kids to get to kura to get some knowledge. We're all trying to save our ecosystem but doing it this way, it's no good," he said.