State Highway 67 between Hector and Mokihinui on the West Coast has reopened to a single lane after an earlier closure due to slips.

People are required to stop on demand at the site and are asked to travel with care.

The following slip/flooding closures remain on the West Coast and in the neighbouring Tasman region:

• State Highway 65 between O'Sullivans Bridge and Springs Junction. A detour is available for southbound traffic via SH6 to Inangahua, left onto Brown Creek Road, left onto SH69 to Reefton, then left onto State Highway 7 to Springs Junction. The reverse applies for northbound traffic.
• State Highway 6 between Murchison and Kawatiri. Road users are advised to delay their journeys if possible

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7 September 2026, 10.40am – SH1 Ashburton reopened after fatal crash

State Highway 1/Rakaia Highway, between Racecourse Road and Mitcham Road, north of Ashburton, has reopened after a fatal crash earlier today.

While the road is now open, road users are still asked to travel with care on this route.

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7 September 2026, 9.30am – SH1 north of Dunedin reopened after spill

State Highway 1/Waikouaiti-Waitati Road north of Dunedin, between Evansdale and Hawksbury, has reopened following a diesel spill this morning.

People are asked to travel with extra care on this route.

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7 September 2026, 8.30am – Flooding/slip closures continue; crash and spill closures further south

State highway closures continue this morning on and around the West Coast following heavy rain.

The closures are as follows:

• Due to a slip, State Highway 67 between Hector and Mokihinui. Road users are advised to delay their journeys if possible.
• Due to slips and flooding, State Highway 65 between O'Sullivans Bridge and Springs Junction. A detour is available for southbound traffic via SH6 to Inangahua, left onto Brown Creek Road, left onto SH69 to Reefton, then left onto State Highway 7 to Springs Junction. The reverse applies for northbound traffic.
• Due to flooding, State Highway 6 between Murchison and Kawatiri. Road users are advised to delay their journeys if possible
   

Further south, State Highway 6 remains closed between Makarora and Lake Hāwea in Central Otago following multiple recent slips. Escorted convoys are operating daily as follows:

• Convoy 1 departs Makarora village heading south at 7.15am; then returns north at 8am from Isthmus Peak Track car park.
• Convoy 2 departs Isthmus Peak Track car park heading north at 12pm; then returns south from Makarora village at 12.45pm.
• Convoy 3 departs Isthmus Peak Track car park heading north at 5.30pm; then returns south from Makarora Village at 6.15pm.
   

Meanwhile, in Canterbury, a crash just north of Ashburton has closed State Highway 1/Rakaia Highway between Racecourse Road and Mitcham Road. A detour is available: northbound road users should turn left onto Racecourse Road, right onto Hepburns Road, right onto Mitcham Road, and back onto SH1. The reverse applies for southbound road users.

In Otago, a diesel spill has closed State Highway 1/Waikouaiti-Waitati Road north of Dunedin between Evansdale and Hawksbury. A detour is available via Coast Road, but this detour is not suitable for heavy vehicles.

People are urged to take extra care on the roads in these areas.

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6 September 2026, 9.15pm: Further flooding closures for West Coast/Tasman

Part of State Highway 6/Upper Buller Gorge Road near Inangahua, on the West Coast, is now closed by flooding.

The section of SH6/Upper Buller Gorge Road is closed between the intersections with Brown Creek Road and State Highway 69. A detour is available via Brown Creek Road.

An earlier closure on State Highway 65 between O'Sullivans Bridge and Shenandoah, also because of flooding, is now extended to be from O'Sullivans Bridge to Springs Junction. This closure is expected to remain in place overnight. A detour is available for southbound traffic via SH6 to Inangahua, left onto Brown Creek Road, left onto SH69 to Reefton, then left onto State Highway 7 to Springs Junction. The reverse applies for northbound traffic.

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6pm – SH6 partially reopened after skip closure; SH65 closed

State Highway 6/Coast Road between Punakaiki and Fox River on the West Coast has reopened to a single lane after a closure earlier this afternoon because of a slip.

People are asked to travel with care on this route as the traffic is managed.

Further inland, a separate slip has closed State Highway 65 between O'Sullivan’s Bridge and Shenandoah. Again, road users are advised to avoid this route or delay their journeys.

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4.30pm – Slip closes SH6, widespread surfacing flooding, treefalls

Part of State Highway 6/Coast Road between Greymouth and Westport on the West Coast has been closed because of a slip at Meybille Bay.

People are asked to avoid the closed area of SH6/Coast Road between Punakaiki and Fox River (see map below), or to consider delaying their journeys.

The closure comes amid heavy rain and widespread surface flooding, fallen trees and other slips occurring across the West Coast and the central South Island today. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has received reports of flooding on SH6 in the Lower Buller Gorge, on various parts of State Highway 7 between Greymouth and Reefton, and on State Highways 7 and 65 between the Hanmer Springs turnoff and Murchison.

Treefalls have been reported on SH6 at Berlins and Inangahua Junction, and on State Highway 67 near Westport. Further south, snowfall is affecting areas such as Lindis Pass in Otago (see image below). People are urged to travel with extra care in these affected areas.

MetService still has an orange heavy rain warning in place for the Grey and Buller Districts, and Nelson Lakes, until 1am tomorrow (Monday). This level of warning means that streams and rivers may rise rapidly, and surface flooding, slips and difficult driving conditions are possible.

Heavy rain watches are in place for the Canterbury high country north of Aoraki-Mount Cook, and southwestern Marlborough, as well as the Ranges of Westland north of Mount Cook National Park.

Limited snowfalls are also possible on Porters Pass and Arthur’s Pass on State Highway 73, and at Lewis Pass on SH7, through until tomorrow morning.