Most of Dunedin's beachside esplanade has been reopened after tests showed it to be safe from sink-holes.
The walkway in the suburb of St Clair was cordoned off when holes began appearing in the waterfront pavement on 26 May and quickly grew into deep pits along a 70-metre section.
The holes were caused by wave surges behind the sea wall after storms helped to erode more than two metres of sand.
The Dunedin City Council's roading maintenance engineer says the rest of the esplanade has been tested using ground-penetrating radar and bore holes and appears safe.
Peter Standring expects emergency work to stop the sink-holes spreading to finish next week. The council will then spend a few months working out how to fix the holes in a lasting way.
