Convoys Through Waioweka Gorge Will Continue Until The Weekend

Three convoys in each direction, led by a pilot vehicle, will allow those who need to travel the opportunity to get through the gorge.

Motorist Gisborne Bound will depart from Goldsmith Reserve at 7am, 11am and 5pm.

Ōpōtiki bound convoys leave the Te Wera Road intersection at 9am, 1pm and 7pm. 

NZTA Bay of Plenty systems manager Sandra King ask people only travel if necessary because the road is still an active work site. 

"We want to keep the freight moving, people that have appointments they need to get to and connections they need to make."

She said if you don't need to go "please just hold fire for now."

"We're working hard to try and get it open as soon as we can, but we need to make sure everyone's safe while they travel through there," King explained. 

Drivers should be prepared for the road to close at short notice if weather conditions or risk assessments change. 

NZTA said the road is still vulnerable, so motorists should not expect normal road conditions, and must follow all instructions from workers. 

Yesterday, a team was on site assessing the road for the next step in recovery.

NZTA said once plans are confirmed, there will be months of works still ahead. 

Convoys began on Monday, with a total of 163 vehicles travelling through yesterday. 

The road has been closed since January 16, when a storm caused around 40 slips, including 8 with significant damage.

Since then, work has been ongoing to clear debris, improve drainage and open culverts, reducing the risk of further issues.

Currently 98% of the culverts have been cleared or replaced with 3 to go.