Mountain bikers will have to wait a while longer for the opening of the winter season on the Heaphy Track.
The South Island track was scheduled to open on Thursday for cyclists, but extensive storm damage has kept parts of the route closed, even to trampers.
Department of Conservation services director Mike Slater said it was hoped to have the Heaphy reopened by next weekend.
Numerous routes in the South Island are shut because of damage from the storm that followed Cyclone Ita. Mr Slater said crews are working incredibly hard to get most of the main routes back to normal.
