Thanks to progress made this week, from Monday 9 March, the early morning and late afternoon periods will be open with stop/go for both Ōpōtiki and Gisborne bound traffic. Here’s how it will work from Monday:

Gorge open daily under stop/go past the Goldsmith slip site

• 5:00am – 7:00am stop/go, all vehicles in both directions, delays of up to 15 minutes.
• 7:00am – 6:00pm stop/go every hour, on the hour.
• 6:00pm – 8:00pm stop/go, all vehicles in both directions, delays of up to 15 minutes.

To avoid long delays, we encourage people to travel through the Gorge between 5-7am or 6-8pm if possible.

There is no change to the start points, these remain:

• Gisborne bound: Goldsmith Reserve.
• Ōpōtiki bound: 1km north of the Oponae rest area.

This is great news for everyone travelling between Tairāwhiti and the Bay of Plenty and takes us one step closer to normal travel conditions. With longer stretches of uninterrupted time to work at the Goldsmith slip site, crews can continue stabilising the area safely and efficiently, bringing us closer to reopening the road to normal two‑way traffic.

While geotechnical assessments confirm the road is safe under controlled access, we encourage travellers to consider whether their trip is essential and to plan ahead.

Drivers should be prepared for the road to close at short notice if weather conditions change or risk assessments require it. The area remains an active worksite and is still vulnerable - normal road conditions should not be expected.

SH2 Waioweka Gorge travel information map [PDF, 3.8 MB]

SH2 Waioweka Gorge closure | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi(external link)