Stanley Road in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is closed to through traffic due to a large slip.

The Whakatane District Council is anticipating the road to be closed for the rest of the week.

The council's transportation manager, Martin Taylor, says the slips occurred about 4km from the Waimana Gorge (State Highway 2) end of Stanley Road overnight on Sunday/Monday.

'Downer NZ, the contractor which will clear the road, estimates there is between 400 and 500 cubic metres of soil and rotten rock material to remove.

'The top of the slip is still unstable, however, and that means that we have to take a cautious approach to the work involved.”

In the meantime, Stanley Road residents who would normally travel to and from their homes via the Waimana Gorge end of the road are being advised to use McCoy and/or Wainui Roads for access.