A temporary bypass restoring access to Far North communities all but cut off since last month’s torrential rain is expected to open this week — as long as today’s rain doesn’t trigger any fresh slips.

West Coast Rd in North Hokianga was badly damaged by a slip about midway between Kohukohu and Panguru during the August 19 deluge, isolating Panguru and Mitimiti from the outside world.

Residents can still use Runaruna Rd to reach Broadwood, which is linked to Kaitaia and SH1, but it’s a long, unsealed and winding road.

Even traffic using the Runaruna Rd detour has to negotiate an earlier slip which swallowed half the road just north of Panguru in July.

Contractors have cut into the bank to allow traffic to squeeze past but it’s unsuitable for large trucks or school buses.

Seventeen students from Panguru Area School are currently learning from home or in a temporary classroom at Motuti Marae, on the other side of the two slips.

On Friday, however, work began to cut a single-lane temporary bypass around the August 19 slip, near the Motutī turnoff.

A Northland Transportation Alliance (NTA) spokesperson said the bypass would allow limited vehicle access for communities almost completely isolated since the storm.

It would not be suitable for heavy vehicles and would open only after today’s heavy rains had passed and the site had been reassessed and confirmed safe.

MetService issued an orange heavy rain warning for much of Northland today with up to 60mm expected this afternoon.

That was normally below the threshold for a warning but there were concerns the rain could trigger fresh slips because the ground was so sodden.

An initial assessment of the slip last week indicated it could be up to 10m deep, the NTA spokesman said.

The inspection also revealed the slip was still moving, significantly complicating repairs.

Boreholes would need to be drilled to confirm the depth of unstable ground before any repairs could be planned.

The NTA would also liaise with neighbouring landowners to explore options for realigning the road away from its current path and installing drainage.

However, the viability of those options depended on the results of a survey to establish the outer limits of the slip.

Early indications were that unstable ground extended well above the roadway.

Meanwhile, work to repair the July slip on the outskirts of Panguru is due to start soon.

NTA hoped work to rebuild the road could start once exploratory test pits had been completed.

The aim of the pits was to locate a firm base from which the road could be rebuilt.