Kaikōura from the north and Hurunui are open for business in time for Matariki Weekend, following the devastating weather event.
But community leaders advise holidaymakers to take precautions if they are travelling.
“I’m pleased to say that with West End reopening this morning, Kaikōura is open for business in time for the Matariki holiday weekend,“ Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle said.
“Our local businesses are ready to welcome customers, but please remember that State Highway 1 south remains closed while NZTA carries out repair work.“
North Canterbury is bouncing back after heavy rain, and flooding damaged roads and bridges and flooded parts of Kaikōura on Tuesday and Wednesday.
While holidaymakers can travel from Christchurch to Hanmer Springs, State Highway 1 between Kaikōura and Cheviot remained closed on Thursday afternoon.
SH1 to the north of Kaikōura reopened at 5 pm on Wednesday evening.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency hoped to get SH1 south of Kaikōura open next week.
Businesses in Kaikōura’s West End reopened on Thursday morning after the Kowhai River and Lyell Stream burst their banks on Tuesday.
Mackle said he wanted to thank those who stepped up in the crisis.
“As always, our community stepped up and took care of one another.“
A warm thank you to the marae and New Life Church for opening their doors to people evacuated from their homes, ensuring they had a safe place to stay and a hot meal to eat.
“Thank you also to the Rapid Relief Team from Blenheim for making the journey down to support our community with meals today, and to New Life Church for offering free takeaway drive-through meals.“
Hurunui Tourism general manager Sarah Wiblin said the district was open for business and she encouraged people to come and support local businesses.
“While we feel for our neighbours in Kaikōura, we want to get the message out that the Waipara Valley wineries are open and you can come to Gore Bay and Cheviot.
“Hanmer Springs is open, and we hope to be able to get a good viewing of Matariki early on Saturday morning.
“For some of our small businesses, these are really important trading periods and things like this can be the death knell, so do come to Hurunui and enjoy the long weekend.“
Wiblin said work was continuing on the Kaikōura Inland Land, and Mt Lyford was expected to be open on Saturday for skiing.
Several rural roads and bridges remain closed throughout the region, and motorists are urged to take precautions.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
