Image copyright Auckland City District Police Image caption Maioro had quite the adventure along a busy motorway

A ginger and white striped kitten has briefly shut down a busy section of motorway in Auckland, New Zealand, while police tried to rescue her.

According to the Auckland City District Police, a motorist had reported that a "small orange and white ball of fluff" was "trying to cause accidents" on the South-Western motorway.

Police found the kitten huddled against the concrete barrier of the motorway.

She was named Maioro after the off-ramp from which she was rescued.

According to a police statement posted on Facebook, Maioro did not make the rescue mission an easy one.

"She was spooked by [an] approaching officer and quickly bolted across three lanes of live traffic, narrowly avoiding the worst," said police.

"Now trapped on a small central strip she required the motorway to be temporarily blocked."

But Maioro's adventure did not end there.

Upon returning to the police station in the patrol vehicle, the officer realised that Maioro was nowhere to be found until they heard "the faintest meow" coming from the dashboard.

Image copyright Auckland City District Police Image caption Maioro somehow managed to climb inside the dashboard

Image copyright Auckland City District Police Image caption Police are hopeful that she will be homed soon

Maioro was later found tucked around a heating fan after mechanics removed the entire dashboard of the patrol vehicle.

According to police, Maioro is "recovering well from her adventures" and they are looking for her to be homed soon.

This is not the first time police in New Zealand have had to rescue a cat off the motorway.

According to the New Zealand Herald, a tabby kitten was found on Auckland's Southern Motorway earlier last year, causing several lanes to be temporarily shut.