A draft report into the cause of a major rock slide in the Mangorewa Gorge on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua is expected this week.
Kaye Clark, NZTA State Highway manager for the Bay of Plenty and Waikato, says September 14 is still on target as the reopening date for the gorge.


The latest picture from inside the Mangorewa Gorge.

'We're committed to reopening the road as soon as we can, but the safety of road users is our top priority and we need to be sure that the situation is as safe as possible before doing so,” says Kaye.
She says since the August 6 rock fall, contractors have been working long hours to secure the area and protect the highway from further falls.
She says when the gorge reopens; it will operate for up to four weeks with the same restricted hours that were in place before the rock fall, with weekday closures between 9am and 4pm.
After that the highway will be opened at all times, with traffic reduced to one lane through the construction site.
The draft report into the cause of the rockslide will be available on SunLive later this week.