SH1 closed near Kaikoura, allow plenty of time for your journey

Motorists travelling between Christchurch and Picton are advised to allow plenty of time for their trips and to expect delays with the closure of SH1 south of Kaikoura requiring significant diversions.

The highway was closed yesterday following a large landslide in which it is estimated that 15,000 cubic metres of soil fell on to the road and railway lines down to the sea.

Experts assess the size of the slip to be the biggest in several years and it is estimated that it will take several days to clear.

The cause of the slip has been attributed to heavy rainfall not as a result of any recent earthquake activity.

Cars are being diverted off on to the Inland Kaikoura Rd while heavy transport vehicles are being re-routed via the Lewis Pass.