A stretch of State Highway 38 will be closing overnight for 3 months from December for underslip repairs.

From Monday 1 December 2025 until Saturday 28 February 2026, SH38 will be closed at night between Lake Waikaremoana Holiday Park and Tuai for essential Cyclone Gabrielle recovery work. 

The road will close from 8pm until 6am each Sunday night to Saturday morning (6 nights a week). It will be open from 6am each day and on Saturday nights.

The road will be fully open on public holidays, including Auckland anniversary weekend 24-26 January (which is shared by Tairāwhiti and Bay of Plenty).

The road will also be fully open during the busy Christmas break from Thursday 18 December at 6am until Monday 5 January at 8pm.

There are no viable detours and people should plan travel around the closure times. The road closes at 8pm, with no access until it reopens at 6am. However, emergency vehicles will be assisted through the site. 

Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) Project Manager Richard Bayley says carrying out the work at night will minimise disruption for communities.

“This will mean people can still travel and undertake summer activities at the lake and beyond. Full closures are required because the road isn’t wide enough for construction work to take place alongside a single lane of traffic.”

People will start to see some activity around the sites in the last week of November as the team starts to prepare for the work.

TREC is carrying out the work with local contractors and in partnership with Ngāi Tūhoe. TREC has been working on a number of sites throughout SH38 since the cyclone, while the design for these underslips was developed.

These repairs will restore the road to its original width, improving long-term resilience and keeping communities connected.

Day closures will also be required from March to June 2026 to complete this work. More information will follow closer to the time with plenty of notice so people can plan ahead.

Recovery work to address damage at two further sites at Whatapo Bay is anticipated in 2026.    

This overnight work is weather dependent and TREC advises all road users to regularly check Journey Planner or the NZTA Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne Facebook page for changes.

Highway conditions - Journey planner(external link)

NZTA Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne Facebook page(external link)

SH38 Wairoa to Waikaremoana project page and maps(external link)