Crews working to restore access on State Highway 35 between Hicks Bay and Pōtaka are concentrating on excavating more soil, following more land movement yesterday.

The road remains closed between Pōtaka in the west and Te Araroa, following a number of slips along this stretch of road.

Between Pōtaka and Hicks Bay, the Waikura underslip is the main focus, with more of the road falling away in yesterday’s rainfall.

Excavators have been brought in to safely create more space for access.

Further around SH35, crews are continuing to make good progress at clearing the Punaruku slip – almost 250,000 cubic metres of material which slid down the bank, taking the road with it.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Incident Controller Richard Bayley says yesterday’s land movement at the Waikura underslip unfortunately shows how fragile the entire stretch of SH35 is, and how dependent it currently is on the weather.

He says the limited access that contractors are currently working on at Punaruku slip is also currently very fragile and prone to more rockfall.

“Our crews know how urgent it is to restore this access – we’ve got to do this safely, and at the moment, that’s taking time.

“It’s currently really muddy and slippery through the Punaruku slip and we’re bringing in 1200 tonne of rock and metal to stabilise this access.

“It’s crucial for people to remember too that when these tracks do open up, it’ll still be slow going. SH35 will have a lot of traffic management and people will need to drive with caution and to the conditions.”

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