The main route between Gisborne and Bay of Plenty has been cut off after thousands of cubic metres of earth and rock smothered the road.
The slip has cut off the main route between Gisborne and Bay of Plenty Photo: NZTA
It could take more than a week to remove the slip, adding hours of travel time for motorists forced to drive up East Cape instead.
About 7000 cubic metres of stone bowled down the bank and flattened a yellow road barrier before settling in an enormous dusty heap across the two lanes.
The Waioeka gorge is notorious for its big slips that cause road blocks - some for weeks or months at a time.
A motorist, Michael Tabudravu, filmed the slip from a few metres away.
"The big one came down and it was pretty loud," he said.
"I didn't find it that scary, more like an adrenaline rush ... Heaps of rocks coming down everywhere, like a river."
Mr Tabudravu had to turn around and head back to Gisborne before continuing on his way to Rotorua, the long way around.
The alternative route from Gisborne to Ōpōtiki is to around the East Cape, adding three hours to the usual two hour journey.
The absence of the shorter route would also be a major headache for growers in the region. LeaderBrand Produce Gisborne chief executive Richard Burke said the company used the road up to five times a day.
The company brings produce in from across the region and then all the supplies head to distribution centers in Auckland and Palmerston North, he said.
"The Auckland leg of the trip, which is the biggest market, requires us to go around through Napier and up, and there is an extra cost in that," he said.
Mr Burke said that road was also in poor condition and carried further risk. He said the company lost out, as did its customers who suffered delays or cancelled deliveries.
"There is a big push to increase the productivity of the regions but these are the things that really make that job difficult."
He said it was a regional issue that required imagination to solve.
"We've got to look at all options with a blank piece of paper and go 'what is it going to take?'."
He said stakeholders needed to look at how secure the transport link was and what it meant for the region.
Ōpōtiki mayor John Forbes said the road closures could hinder medical treatment.
Treatment like specialised dialysis normally required travelling to Waikato or to some of the tertiary specialists in Auckland, he said.
"The extra drive around the East Cape can be really trying, especially for people that are unwell and suffering.
Mr Forbes said the gorge was an important access route that needed to be in a condition where slips could only close it for a matter of hours, not days.
The Transport Agency's Mark Owen said crews were doing everything they could to re-open the road, but it was a difficult environment.
"Particularly in this area, where there's a long gorge, lots of high, steep mountains or hills next to road or river - it's a very challenging road environment," he said.
Mr Owen said safety of the crews removing the material and that of the public was paramount.
Building a new road in the area would be a challenge given the length of the network and terrain, he said.
A similar sized slip in 2017 took nine days to clear, Mr Owen said.
Drivers were also warned to take extra care on detours via Napier this week because of forecast ice and snow.