Lighthouse Road End of Year Message 2025

As the year draws to a close, Council would like to thank the local community for your cooperation and patience since May when land instability was triggered above Lighthouse Road and generated significant uncertainty and disruption to the community.

Council has been working through feedback received from residents and business owners about their access requirements when remediation works begin on site next year. This work will include reconstruction of the damaged section of road, construction of a new retaining wall to shore up the road, and drilling of horizontal drains into the hillside. This work is expected to improve the resilience of the road and make an improvement towards the on-going stability of the land.

Some works have already been carried out prior to Christmas including the infilling of the head scarp, or area where the land instability begins. The crack, which was about 200mm wide, was injected with a bentonite/grout mix. This is expected to provide a slight improvement towards the on-going stability of the land.

31 October 2025

Plans to reconstruct a section of Lighthouse Road damaged following the significant May rainfall event are progressing with pavement testing onsite.

Test pits were dug to investigate the type and depth of material beneath the road’s top seal and to test the subsurface.

“In order to rebuild the road, we need to know what lies beneath it and the strength of that material,” says General Manager City Infrastructure Brent Smith.

The results will help with designing the reconstruction of the road, making it more resilient and able to withstand potential future movement of the adjacent land. Design work is also underway for a retaining wall to be constructed to strengthen a short section of the road where the shoulder has slumped away.

“We aren’t just replacing like for like – the road will be reconstructed to be stronger and more resilient. The work is expected to require some road closures, but we will communicate these to residents, businesses and the wider Akaroa community well in advance so they can plan their travel.”

Mr Smith says investigation and design is also progressing into drainage work that will lower the groundwater level in the affected land adjacent to the road, aiming to improve slope stability and reduce the risk of further movement occurring.

“Our aim is for work on the road to start following the 25/26 summer season, but this is dependent on any necessary consents being obtained and working through agreements with adjacent landowners.”

Monitoring of the land instability site is also ongoing.