Part of a major central North Island State Highway has been completely shredded after a large landslip.
The scale of the damage is highlighted in images taken by photographer Mark Brimblecombe.
Entire sections of State Highway 4, between Whanganui and Raetihi, were obliterated by the landslip. In other parts of the road, deep cracks tear through.
According to the NZTA, it was caused by an underslip last weekend, but the damage has worsened over time, causing the hill face to slip.
It's expected to take months, or even up to a year, to repair.
"The road has now completely disappeared," Ruapehu mayor Don Cameron told Newshub.
"Without a doubt it's major and it's going to be a major repair work to be done."
It's a massive blow for locals. With the main road impassable, they're bracing for a big economic impact.
A three-week closure several years ago had an impact of around $5 million of lost income, Cameron said.
"This will be far greater."
Raetihi resident Sharon Birch told Newshub it's not going to be an "easy or short fix".
It used to take a little over an hour to travel to the nearest city. Now it's going to take almost twice as long.
"As a teacher, I was travelling to Whanganui every two weeks to get supplies for the next two weeks," she said.
"I am now having to travel to Taupō to do this. We have small towns around with limited outlets, so we find we have to travel."
Cameron said locals were initially angry at the damage, "but people now understand this is absolutely a major incident that you couldn't have even predicted".
"We're just going to have to hunker down and support each other through this until it is fixed."
Travellers can use State Highway 3, State Highway 1 and State Highway 49 as detours.
People should plan ahead and allow extra time for their journey, the NZTA warned in a statement.
Geotechnics from the NZTA are investigating to find the exact cause of the slip.
Newshub.
