Some residents in Mt Lyford are frustrated they are only being allowed to drive to their homes, through the earthquake-damaged inland road, twice a day.
The authorities have decided the road between Waiau and Mt Lyford is not safe enough to be open to the public. Road repairs are being done, and it is being assessed for landslip risks.
Locals are being allowed escorted access as far as Mt Lyford, but the road is closed to the general public - and there is still no public access to Kaikōura.
One North Canterbury resident, Al Delmar, has two parents who are both in their 80s and live on a stretch of the closed road.
The controlled access was stalling the area's recovery and putting added stress on locals, he said.
"I don't think there was too much traffic going up and down the road, but now you see there are people who are - they're just stuck. We are just stuck and it's affecting, yeah, our mental health."
Today there were two convoys from Waiau to Mt Lyford - one at 10am and one at 2pm.
