Traffic was backed up for kilometres in each direction as the Waikato Expressway was closed during an armed stand-off in Mercer.

The man at the centre of an armed stand-off with police in the Waikato was wanted for allegedly fleeing a bail check and going on a crime spree.

Police said wanted man Ricky Batalliard was arrested after the incident in Mercer, which closed the Waikato Expressway for hours on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

The 27-year-old is facing several charges, but police would not comment as the matter was before the courts.

SAM SWORD Traffic was backed up more than a kilometre north from the site of an armed stand-off.

On Saturday, police appealed for the public's help to locate Batalliard.

READ MORE: Police search for armed man who went on the run

A day earlier he had pulled a gun on two police officers during a bail check before allegedly going on to commit two aggravated robberies in South Auckland.

Police said about 10pm on Saturday they tracked a vehicle from Manurewa to a Mobil service station in Mercer.

At the service station, a woman got out of the car driven by Batalliard and told police he had a gun.

Police closed the Waikato Expressway while the Armed Offenders Squad surrounded his car and officers then arrested him.

State Highway 1 was closed for hours, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded and traffic backed-up traffic on both north and southbound lanes.

The Waikato Expressway reopened about 1.35am on Sunday after police confirmed the situation had been resolved.

A busload of All Blacks supporters returning to Hamilton after Saturday night's test were among those caught up in the stand-off.

Many motorists caught up in the traffic jam complained on social media about the lack of communication and information provided from police.

A woman who was at the Last Post Tavern in Mercer, near the scene, said patrons were evacuated from the area "or [they] could be caught in the gunfire".

"Cops got place locked down. Armed gunmen in the mall. We all got told to leave or we could be caught in the crossfire."

One person said a police officer at a blockade near Mercer said there was an "armed man at the Mercer service station that they are currently in a stand-off with".

Another witness said a helicopter had been circling above the Waikato township for about 40 minutes and that the volunteer fire crews had responded.

A resident in the area who did not want to be named said he heard a helicopter circle above and that someone had shouted, "Come out with your hands up."

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