A big concrete barrier has been shoved down the hillside of a closed Coromandel road amid frustration over its closure.

Part of Tapu-Coroglen Road, cutting straight across the peninsula, had been targeted, says Thames-Coromandel District council.

'Unfortunately, there have been ongoing acts of vandalism around the closed area of the road, including moving traffic management measures such as the large concrete barriers, safety fencing, posts and traffic cones.”

Some areas of Thames-Coromandel had been temporarily cut off due to a plethora of damage left behind after Cyclone Gabrielle and a series of other storms during what had been labelled a 'long, wet, tough summer”.

Roading crews have been working to restore access but council updates say a large slip about 10km from Tapu leaves the Tapu-Coroglen Road 'impassable for the foreseeable future”.

'Properties can be accessed from either end (Tapu or Coroglen); however, detours are large for residents to travel to the other side of the slip.”

The council alludes to the impact that road closures have had on people in Thames-Coromandel and the strain it can cause.

But they remind motorists that the road was still deemed unsafe and any vandalism 'ultimately comes at a cost to the ratepayer”.

'We understand the impact of the closure and are working to reopen the road as quickly and as safely as possible,” says council.

'The ongoing closure of Tapu-Coroglen Road is a matter of public safety and any unauthorised movement of traffic management measures or driving through the closed area creates serious risks and will not be tolerated.”

Any suspicious behaviour or vandalism should be reported to the council, says TCDC.

The slip causing the closure is about 30m wide at road level, with slippage both above and below the road, according to council roading updates.

Borehole testing was brought forward as a priority, the council said, and initial tests pointed to 'what appears to be a weak strip of material between two areas of stronger rock”.

There may also be some water flow through weaker rock below the surface.

”Results of the borehole test will be used to decide the next steps, but ... we do not believe that a retreat into the cliff face is possible for a temporary solution.”

-Te Aorewa Rolleston/Stuff.