The rock will be removed by a team of people who will abseil down the cliff face. Photo / Supplied
The rock will be removed by a team of people who will abseil down the cliff face. Photo / Supplied
A busy section of SH50 in Napier will be closed this weekend as a dangerous rock is removed from Bluff Hill's cliff.
The road, pedestrian and cycle pathway will be closed from the end of Marine Parade at Coote Road, along State Highway 50 past Napier Port, to the portentry on Breakwater Road.
Deemed to be in danger of falling, the rock will be removed by a team of abseilers who will use crowbars to try to prise the rock from the cliff face. If this doesn't work airbags inflated with compressed air will be used.
If neither of these methods is successful a micro-explosive will be deployed from inside the rock to break it and allow it to fall off the cliff.
Napier City Council said this "was not a noisy procedure".
During the rock removal, the council will put a series of interlocking containers to provide a barrier between falling debris and the port. There will also be strict health and safety procedures in place. Noise during the rock removal will be very minimal
The closure will begin at 6am Saturday and end 10pm Sunday.
A detour will be in place for all vehicles and the council is advising walkers who want to use the path to get to Ahuriri choose a route that goes over the hill. Cyclists, however, are not recommended to travel over the hill to Ahuriri as a traffic increase is expected.
