An overnight slip that engulfed a 20 tonne digger has provided a sharp reminder of the dangers to workers repairing State Highway One south of Kaikoura.
A huge slip just south of Kaikoura last Thursday night nearly buried a digger, and the NZTA are still trying to figure out how to remove it.
The slip happened overnight while the 20 tonne excavator was empty, and no one was working.
Steve Mutton, a programme manager for theNZTA, said the incident happened "while it was parked up there".
He said it would not have been an issue for his staff if the slip had occurred during the day.
"Our experienced operators would have been able to move away from the slip into a safe zone."