Open for summer

At Hurunui District Council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, Council agreed to clear the slips and temporarily restore the eastern end of Nape Nape Road, as inexpensively as possible.

Sitting south of Cheviot, the 2.5km stretch of road paralleling the sea road has been continually damaged by the sea or cliff erosion over the past couple of years. It provides access to two properties.

The six-month period which includes the summer months will give Council officers a chance to develop a high-level framework that will enable funding implications to be consulted on as part of the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), which will be out for consultation next year.

West Ward Councillor Karen Armstrong said through the LTP process, people in the district will be asked where they would like roading money to go.

“We want to be able to say where we can take these roads now, and into the future.”

Options include choosing whether a road will remain maintained on the network, or be deemed unmaintained.

Chief Operations Officer Dan Harris confirmed there are 61 vulnerable roads in the district, which are vulnerable for a variety of different reasons, not just coastal erosion.

This road section provides access to a piece of private land with a shed, and a Department of Conservation Reserve. It has been unmaintained since early 2023 after ongoing storm damage, the decision was based on cost-management reasons.

“A four-wheel-drive track is very subjective, depending on who you are talking to,” said Harris, affirming that vehicles using Nape Nape Road need to have high clearance, and rainfall during the summer will determine when the road can be accessed.

There will be signs on the road warning people to drive at their own risk.