One lane of State Highway 1, south of Kaikoura, has reopened on Thursday afternoon after a major landslip blocked the road and rail line last week.
Crews have worked around the clock since the slip occurred at the weekend to remove about 30,000 cubic metres of debris.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says motorists should expect delays of up to half an hour while travelling on that stretch of road and it is hoped both lanes will be open by Saturday.
The agency's site manager, Scott Ford, told Checkpoint the cleared site is mostly stable but there is still about 1000 cubic metres of dirt and debris to remove.
Mr Ford hopes to have that completed by Friday before bad weather is set to hit the area.
He says a temporary railway line for freight trains should be working on Thursday night.
