A massive slip that has cut off road access to 18 houses north of Gisborne has been described as “nature at its best”.

The slip, about 1km north of the Anaura Bay Motor Camp, 85km north of Gisborne, is estimated to contain about 20-30,000 cubic metres of soil. It covers the road to Nuhiti Beach and Anaura Bay and a neighbouring property so people can only get past via the beach.

The slip, which comes from the hillside of an Anaura Bay Incorporation farm, looks as if an entire hillside has been picked up and moved to the side.

Gisborne District Council northern roading engineer Dennis Malone did not know how long it would take to clear it.

“The reality is that you can always walk around it, but that doesn’t always go down well,” he said.

“There’s about another $1 million worth of work hung, slung and flung throughout the area’s roads because of this weather.”

Contractors would attempt to clear a path through the middle of the large pile of dirt and rock, and would clear the remaining material once there was road access.

NZHerald