New slip complicates efforts to reopen SH1 near Kaikōura

Author: Tom Rose,
Publish Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2026, 2:32pm

A new slip has fallen on a section of State Highway 1 near Kaikōura days after severe flooding hit the region. Photo / NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

A new slip has come down over a restricted area of State Highway 1 near Kaikōura days after severe flooding in the region, complicating efforts to get the main route back open.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said the latest slip adds “to the complexity of efforts to reopen the highway” after a section between Cheviot and Kaikōura closed because of damage from the severe weather.

At one point, almost half of the two-lane road was washed out.

With Route 70/Inland Kaikōura Rd also still closed, motorists wanting to travel from Cheviot to Kaikōura or further north must now take a significantly longer detour using State Highways 7, 65, 6 and 63.

With roads still closed, bridges damaged and residents along the affected routes effectively cut off from the rest of New Zealand, repairs on SH1 will continue through the long weekend.

NZTA expects the road to reopen by next Tuesday at the earliest.

“The rock and vegetation slip this morning from the adjacent hillside is in a site where the high river levels and flooding have eaten away at chunks of the highway, requiring rock to be brought in to build up those affected sections of the road,” a spokesperson for NZTA said.

“The slip area has been isolated this morning in anticipation of geotechnical engineers coming in to assess if there is risk of further slips at the site.

“The slip material will then be cleared off the road when it is safe to do so.”

With its contractor, NZTA said it would continue working with local councils and civil defence officials to ensure access for emergency vehicles and critical services.

A section of SH1, south of Kaikōura near Ferniehurst, was washed away amid severe flooding earlier this week. Photo / Hurunui District Council

NZTA said it would provide another update once “more information is available”.

The agency alluded to the ongoing closure of SH1 from Cheviot to Kaikōura through the Matariki long weekend yesterday after reopening the section north of Kaikōura on Wednesday.

“We appreciate that it being school holidays and a long holiday weekend, people will be travelling around the South Island to connect with family and friends, or experience some of the snow that’s fallen in the last few days,” NZTA’s maintenance and operations regional manager Peter Brown said.

“We do ask that people travelling on the state highways plan ahead by checking for any closures or travel restrictions, such as the current closure south of Kaikōura on SH1, or any forecast weather that could bring fresh disruptions.

“As people will have seen, there has been a lot of weather impacts on the highway network recently, and there may be more in store for Otago and the Mackenzie Basin as melted snow and surface water turn to ice in the freezing conditions tonight and over the next few days.”