NZ Post is suspending pick-ups of Auckland freight this weekend, and asks customers to be patient as it deals with a 'staggering” number of parcels.

In an email to customers on Friday, the postal service said the volume of parcels being sent and Auckland's alert level 3 restrictions meant things were taking longer than usual in the city, warning that deliveries in and out of Auckland could be delayed by up to five working days.

Auckland freight would be picked up in 'a phased manner” early next week, the company said.

It would continue to pick up forward freight heading out of Auckland for customers who had scheduled a collection.

In the rest of the North Island, pick-ups would be limited on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to 80 per cent of average volumes in the last fortnight.

'Covid isn't stopping Kiwis from shopping up a storm online [and] we're still seeing a staggering number of parcels being sent, particularly in Auckland,” it said.

'We are currently experiencing delays of up to five working days for parcel deliveries in and out of Auckland.”

While NZ Post was working to get parcels delivered as quickly as possible, the delays could continue until Auckland's alert level changed and safety restrictions eased, the email said.

Things were returning to normal elsewhere, with delays of up to one working day for items being sent around the rest of New Zealand.

Customers were asked to track parcels online and not call the customer care team unless a parcel had been delayed for more than 10 working days for those sent into or out of Auckland, or more than five working days for items sent across the rest of the country.

On Thursday, a NZ Post spokeswoman said parcels were being delivered at a rate of about two million a week, or four parcels per second.

Post volumes were up 50 per cent in Auckland, and about 23 per cent in the rest of the country.

Esther Taunton/Stuff