Live closures, hazards and roadworks on SH1 — Kaikōura's coastal lifeline — from Waka Kotahi's official highway feed.
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Kaikōura sits on State Highway 1 between the mountains and the sea, with no other sealed road in or out. This page reads Waka Kotahi's live highway feed for the SH 1 stretch either side of town — reported closures, hazards and roadworks. When nothing is listed, the road is open as far as the feed knows; check Waka Kotahi before you drive.
State Highway 1 is open. No events reported.
Waka Kotahi lists nothing on this route right now. As of 14 Jul, 11:43.
SH 1 is Kaikōura's only through road by land — the coast road north toward Blenheim and south toward Christchurch. The 2016 earthquake severed it in both directions for about a year, and slips and weather still close it from time to time.
Waka Kotahi is the live source — check it before you drive
The magnitude-7.8 Kaikōura earthquake in November 2016 triggered thousands of landslides along the coast, cutting SH 1 to the north and south and isolating the town by land. The road reopened in stages through 2017 and fully by the end of that year; the rebuilt coastal sections are still watched closely in heavy rain.
With the coast road shut, the detour between Kaikōura and Christchurch runs inland via the Inland Kaikōura Road (SH 70) to Waiau and SH 7 over the Lewis Pass — a longer, slower alpine route that can itself close in winter snow. Check its status before relying on it.
Checked 14 Jul, 11:43 (GMT+12). Sourced from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, licensed for reuse under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Events can lag the road, and very new ones take a few minutes to appear.