Thousands of people are expected to gather in Rotorua tomorrow as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring the royal tour to the Bay of Plenty.

Harry and Meghan will be visiting Rotorua tomorrow afternoon, with a public appearance from 3.30pm.

Rotorua Lakes Council is expecting thousands of people to flock to the city to catch a glimpse of the Royal Couple.

'The Duke and Duchess's only public appearance will be in Rotorua's Government Gardens between 3.30 and 4pm. We advise people to arrive well in advance.

'The walk will take place along Queens Drive.

'With an increase in visitors to Rotorua, this could cause some congestion and some traffic issues, but plans are underway to take the stress out of the day for locals and visitors.”

Rotorua Lakes Council will be opening up the Village Green at Rotorua Lakefront for additional parking.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is also providing a free park and ride service, enabling people to park at the Rotorua Racecourse on Fenton Street, with buses taking them to the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre in the central city.

The Park and Ride car park will be open from 9am and the buses will be running at regular intervals between midday and 5pm.

SunLive will be in Rotorua for the Royal visit, bringing you coverage of the walk tomorrow afternoon.

Road Closures:

Queens Dr from archway to roundabout, 6pm October 30 to 5pm October 31.

Queens Dr from roundabout to EEC carpark, 8am to 5pm October 31.

Oruawhata Dr from Memorial Dr rounabout to Museum/Blue Baths cnr, 8am to 5pm October 31.

Arawa St from Fenton St roundabout to Hinemaru St, 30 minutes before event to 30 minutes after event passing.

Hinemaru St from Arawa St to Pukuatua St, 6am to 5pm October 31.

Hinemaru St from Pukaki St to Arawa St, 30 minutes before event to 30 minutes after event passing.

*Please note the times of the road closures could change.

Traffic congestion is expected in Rotorua tomorrow (Wed 31 Oct) due to the Royal Visit (from 3.30pm), especially on #SH30 Te Ngae Rd: https://t.co/pBAkxH5Gtv. Learn more about council's free park & ride: https://t.co/2A3QmHOiXU or allow extra time for journeys in the area. ^TP pic.twitter.com/30V8yF11uR

— NZTA Waikato/BoP (@NZTAWaiBoP) October 29, 2018