Road works on State Highway 1 could drag out the operation to transport shipping cargo from Northport to Auckland.
Police teams stop trucks going south from Whangārei to make sure they're not over the weight limits. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
Every hour between 6am to midnight for the next seven days - excluding Sunday - 12 trucks will be taking a load of Christmas cargo from Northport and head south.
But there are a number of roadworks taking place on State Highway 1 which could slow things down.
National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken told Morning Report it might be longer than seven days to transport all the goods from the ship Constantinos P, which was diverted from Auckland due to delays in offloading.
"We estimate at best, [truck drivers are] going to be making two trips [each day] that's if everything goes well.
"It's a challenging drive, it's not the best of roads compared to what they're used to ... the average trip for containers from Auckland ports is around 30km, they're now going to be doing 140-150km one way on quite a challenging road that's got a few black spots.
"I hear through NZTA that they've got at least two resealing jobs going on. It's going to add to the time it takes to get the container back to Auckland, which will limit the number of trips."
"It's a challenging drive" - National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken
He says the period of the operation will depend on a number of factors, including the ability of Northport to load containers, road issues, and the number of vehicles that can be sent to Northport while still carrying out operations in Auckland.
"[Northport] doesn't have the same infrastructure as other container ports have. They are going to be limited in their abilities to unload the vessel and then load the trucks. We understand they've only got two toploaders ... which will slow things down compared to other ports."
On the other hand, Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai was optimistic about the prospects for Northport to showcase its abilities. She told Morning Report the road can handle the traffic despite a need for upgrades.
"We all know that road, we actually have road envy for other parts of the country.
"We've said for a very long time this road needs upgrading."
She says moving the freight shows Northport's capacity to play a bigger role in taking cargo that would normally go to Auckland.
"Everything is being planned for that very outcome, and it brings it forward and it does show our capability."
As well as safe road transport, a good rail link is vital to the success of Northport's expansion, she says, and the Whangārei to Auckland rail line is being upgraded.
She hopes rail will be able to handle large numbers of containers within 10 years.
"I liken it to when the Kaimai Tunnel was built for the ports of Tauranga all those years ago and that just means the roads were safer as a result as rail picked up that load.
"The port has long been planning an expansion to be able to handle larger ships.
"We've proven to the carriers that Northport is a viable option for adding to the network of ports that can cope with this freight."
She says New Zealand needs to look at its ports as an integrated system for dealing with freight - and Northport will play its part.
"Aucklanders are wanting their waterfront back and we can find a solution that will work for everybody to ensure that we are getting goods to where they need to be as efficiently as possible."
Police have been flown in from around the country to assist with the operation as well. Senior sergeant Mike Flatt told Morning Report they've got their Commercial Vehicle Safety team set up just south of Northport to monitor trucks and check weights.
"It is busy and it's going to get busier throughout the day," he said, adding that there were other big trucks - from logging and other industries - out on the road today.
"The normal freight that moves from Whangārei in the Far North down to Auckland and the rest of the country is still going ahead."
He urged motorists to be patient and plan their journey ahead to adjust for congestion.
"People are just going to have to be patient. Our partner agency NZTA are out there with their road management teams.
"With the trucks going up Brynderwyn and some of those hills, those are the areas where it's going to start congesting up a bit ... keep your distance, mind your speed, and have some patience."
He noted there will be no movement on Sunday and that would ease some congestion.
Look back on the developments from the morning of 11 December: