Traffic heavy on the roads, and in the shops, for Boxing Day sales

Wednesday, 26 December 2018

Boxing Day sales drew in thousands to Sylvia Park, prompting warnings of significant congestion on the roads.

New Zealand has hit the Boxing Day sales with big crowds up and down the country causing congestion on the roads and headaches in shopping mall car parks.

The biggest traffic issues were in Auckland where the NZ Transport Agency had issued warnings in the Mount Wellington area as shoppers hit the malls to snap up bargains.

Some shoppers tried to beat the rush with some waiting for doors to open at 7.30am at Sylvia Park in Auckland, with extended hours offered at the shopping mall.

Jo Allen, marketing manager at Sylvia Park, said numbers could outstrip last year's Boxing Day figures.

NZTA warned drivers of significant congestion on the roads.

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'We have expected the centre to be busy, with more than 90,000 visitors on Boxing Day in 2017,'said Allen.

'We project more visitors this year judging by foot traffic numbers recorded as of 10am.'

Allen said the mall opened the doors early with some major retailers and cafes offering extended hours.

'We have a traffic management team in place, have recently opened 600 new car parks, have extended our hours until 9pm to accommodate the extra visitors, and also have valet parking available until 9pm,' Allen said.

Customer Chris Abey got in early for the Boxing Day sales.

'Shoppers driving in to the centre today can look at the Sylvia Park website to see real-time parking information and make the best decision where to park before they arrive, as well as take advantage of the new car park and valet parking offers to make their day as stress-free as possible.'

Allen said there had been steady growth throughout the Christmas rush however, Boxing Day was always the busiest day of the year.

'We are excited to see how the day pans out,' Allen said.

After uncertainty over the impact of Black Friday on retail spending, Kiwis hit the stores in a final pre-Christmas rush.

In Wellington, Cuba Street was full of bargain-hunters, and in Christchurch, Riccarton's mall was packed.

In the last weekend before Christmas, New Zealand shoppers spent $429 million, racking up a new record of 182 transactions per second, according to Paymark.

It was expected December spending would hit $5 billion by the end of the month.