The east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, on the North Island of New Zealand, remains largely cut off from the rest of the country due to landslides. State Highway 25A, which connects the peninsula to the mainland, has been closed since cracks appeared on 27 January after ex-Cyclone Hale. The missing 140m stretch of road has created a cavernous divide that splits the peninsula in two. Access in and out of the area has been severely impacted by the landslides, and a fix for SH25A is not expected to be in place before Christmas.
Engineers are currently considering three options for the repair of the road: reinstating the road using some form of retaining, building a bridge, or constructing a bypass. They have not yet decided on a preferred option, which will be reliant on the outcome of their geotechnical investigations. The possibility of a tunnel through the mountains has not been ruled out, but its high cost makes it an unlikely option.
The start date for the repair work could fall into the wetter winter months, which is less than desirable for a project on such unstable ground. Any fix would take nine to 12 months to implement, meaning residents or visitors looking for a solution by Christmas would be disappointed. A large chunk of another road on the eastern side of the peninsula has also been taken out by a slip between Whangamatā and Tairua. This section of State Highway 25 has been reduced to a single lane open to light vehicles only, with the rebuild of this road only due to start in April.
