State Highway 1 between Cheviot and Kaikōura will remain closed into the long holiday weekend as crews work to repair severe flooding and road damage in North Canterbury.

An NZTA spokesman said repair work was now underway to make the highway safe, but the road would stay shut through today.

“State Highway 1 is closed from Cheviot to Kaikōura, with Inland Route 70, Inland Kaikōura Road, also remaining closed,” he said.

“People can travel as far north as Cheviot on SH1, but to travel to Kaikōura and further north, the longer inland route via State Highways 7, 65, 6 and 63 will be required.”

A soft checkpoint has been set up at Waipara to advise motorists of the limits of travel on SH1.

There was some relief further north, with the stretch between Kaikōura and Ward in Marlborough reopening yesterday afternoon. It remains open with traffic management and reduced speed limits in place.

Repairs south of Kaikōura were expected to take a couple of days, meaning the closure will run into the long weekend and the start of the school holidays. The spokesman said an update on the likely reopening time was expected later today.

He urged holiday travellers to plan ahead.

“Those travelling for the long weekend and school holidays should factor into their planning this ongoing SH1 closure between Cheviot and Kaikōura, as well as the potential for any further closures due to flooding and slips following the heavy rain in recent days.”