Image: Christchurch NZ

Heading north of Kaikoura or south from Blenheim? You no longer have to detour during daylight hours, with State Highway 1 (SH1) re-opening on the afternoon of the 15th of December, more than a year after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the region.

The coastal highway link between Picton and Christchurch was badly damaged during the November 2016 quake and will now re-open during the day; note though that two areas of the SH1 will close overnight from 8.30pm until 7 am. The closure areas are (north of Kaikoura) between Clarence and Mangamaunu and (south of Kaikoura) between Goose Bay and Peketa.

Look out for electronic road side signs and a checkpoint just south of Blenheim from 7pm to 6am.

“Road crews at the checkpoint will help people make the right travel choices for their journeys and prevent them getting stuck further down the coast at the closure zone,” says NZ Transport Agency earthquake recovery manager Tim Crow.

The re-opening means that drivers two viable options for travel around the upper South Island, including the alternate route (via Lewis Pass).

For the latest updates, hit the New Zealand Transport Authority website.