The main route to Ōtaki Forks remains too unstable to reopen.

Ōtaki Gorge Road at Blue Bluff, 13km inland  from SH1, closed in September 2020 due to slips.

DOC built an emergency walking track over private land, which bypasses the slips but takes  up to three hours to traverse.

Kāpiti Coast District Council built a more direct track over the slips earlier this year, but plans to open it were put on hold after wet winter brought further instability.

The slip area is starting to dry as the weather improves, but it remains hazardous. 

“There are no quick or cheap fixes and we must consider a lot of factors, not least cost and who pays, and the likely possibility of future slips,” said access and transport manager Glen O’Connor.