One motorist, Alex, who declined to give his last name, said he had been waiting for an hour with no sign of being let through on the road south to Auckland. Police were turning cars around but the long detour wouldn't be possible in his electric vehicle without a charging station, he said. Alex said he was stopped at the top of the hill and “couldn't go back or forward”. It would be two or three hours before he could go through, he said he was told by police. He was worried that would mean he would miss his flight from Auckland Airport, he said.