22/05/2026
We have missed our North Island Friends, can't wait to catch up again
We're re-opening Awakino Gorge on State Highway 3 between Mōkau and Piopio from 5pm Friday 22 May.
The road's re-opening, but it'll be under stop/go traffic management. You'll need to take turns going through some single-lane sections of the gorge. You'll still need to plan ahead as there will be delays and queues that'll vary based on the volume of traffic, the work we're doing, and the weather conditions.
Re-opening the road is a big win for everyone who travels this route. We owe a massive thank you to the roadworkers and specialist teams involved, who worked in less-than-ideal conditions to get the road back to a state where we can safely re-open it.
On 18 April the road was closed due to flooding and multiple large slips that made the gorge dangerous to drive. Since then roadworkers have been clearing the debris from multiple slip sites, reopening blocked culverts, restoring drainage, and stabilising the cliff faces at multiple sites.
We're not yet finished with the recovery work, and we're aiming to get this back to 24/7 two-lane travel as soon as we're able. We appreciate your patience while we finish off this work.
Follow us if you aren't already to get regular updates on our progress. There's more information available on our website: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic-bulletins?Region=Taranaki
