Users of one of the main routes from the east to the West Coast of the South Island say the road is being closed unnecessarily.
Porters Pass is part of the great alpine highway and is regularly hit by snow, but locals believe Waka Kotahi is being overly cautious, to the detriment of motorists and businesses alike.
After some tough years, Porter Heights is having a bumper of a season, but enjoying the great snow is hard if people can't access it.
Porter Heights's Blair James told Newshub: "It's definitely the first stress in the morning is what are they going to do."
"They" being Waka Kotahi, who regularly close the pass because of snow. This winter already it's been closed for 53 hours.
"It's how conservative they are after the road has been cleared, the sun is out," James told Newshub.
Castle Hill business owner Peter Wakefield said the transport agency often closes the pass prematurely.
"They have a tendency to close the pass as soon as there's any snow falling even before it's settling on the road."
Porters Pass is a major route from the east to West Coast, with five ski fields and hundreds of homes and businesses scattered throughout. Closing it impacts thousands daily.
In parts of Porters Pass, the amount of snow there can change in just hours - one weather front comes through and the entire pass is covered in snow.
The frustrated locals say they don't want to jeopardise safety but say Waka Kotahi has become more and more conservative recently and Newshub's file pictures back this up.
In 2015, roads were open to vehicles with chains. Last weekend the road was completely closed to the public.
Castle Hill residents who live in the village nearby have been battling the issue for the past five years and held many public meetings with officials.
"It becomes very frustrating not just for the businesses but all the people that want to get through to the Coast," Wakefield told Newshub.
Fellow business owner Gus Fahy, who runs a local lodge and transport businesses in Springfield at the start of Porters Pass, agreed that it really affects businesses.
"[It's] an ongoing frustration that drives us batty, last Sunday was it, it was absolutely ridiculous."
Waka Kotahi says closure is a last resort with safety paramount, particularly for those unfamiliar with the road.
The road that's officially named the 'great alpine highway' but is known by locals as the 'closed alpine highway'.
