State Highway 35 between Hicks Bay and Te Araroa will open from today with restrictions.

The stretch of SH35 around Punaruku slip was initially closed last Friday night after heavy rainfall made the slip site unsafe for drivers.

It’s been closed much of the weekend.

The road will open over the coming days at various times during the day:

Wednesday 1 April

The road will be open under stop/go only during the following daylight hours:

• 7am to 8am (1 hour)
• 12pm to 12:30pm (30 minutes)
• 5pm to 6pm (1 hour)

The road will be open to light vehicles only.

The road will be closed overnight from 6pm to 7:30am Thursday 2 April.

It is not safe to have the road open at night.

Thursday 2 April

The road will be open under stop/go only during the daylight hours from 7:30am to 6pm for light vehicles only. It will be closed overnight from 6pm until 7:30am Friday 3 April.

Over the long Easter weekend and until further notice

From Friday 3 April, the road will be open to light vehicles only from 7:30am to 6pm each day. It will be closed overnight from 6pm to 7:30am each night until further notice.

The road and surrounding area at Punaruku slip site is extremely fragile and unstable following the most recent rainfall. Roadworkers have been onsite at Punaruku clearing ditches and working to address immediate slip issues, and the ongoing recovery and drainage works are also continuing as part of the wider recovery work.

We will continue closely monitoring the site over the coming days. Please be aware that closures may happen at short notice.