About 15 council staff and contractors yesterday moved 200 tonnes of rock from the Narrows, on the Glenorchy-Queenstown Rd, 16km from central Queenstown.
It was hoped to open one land of the road to traffic this morning, but a Queenstown Lakes District Council said in a statement the road's reopening had been postponed following an assessment of the road and the slip area.
Council infrastructure services general manager Mark Kunath said last night a crew, operating two 20-tonne diggers, had cleared more of the rock than they expected yesterday.
The cost would be "significant", council spokeswoman Meaghan Miller said.
Debris covered 20m to 30m of the road and measured up to 5m in height. Rocks cascaded over the road edge and 60m to 80m down the embankment to the waterline of Lake Wakatipu.
Free transport between Queenstown and Glenorchy will continue to be available every hour throughout the day.
To Glenorchy
Buses will leave the Queenstown CBD (behind the Station Building) to Wilsons Bay at 8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm.
A water taxi will then leave from Wilsons Bay to Rats Point at 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm.
A further bus leaves from Rats Point to Glenorchy Holiday Park at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm, and 6.30pm.
To Queenstown
Buses will leave the Glenorchy Holiday Park to Rats Point at 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm.
A water taxi will then leave from Rats Point to Wilsons Bay at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm (please note the 6.30pm boat will leave from Mount Creighton).
A further bus leaves from Wilsons Bay to the Queenstown CBD at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm.
