Four helicopters were sent to fight a fire that closed State Highway 1 north of Kaikōura.
Fire crews were called to the blaze on the hillside about 5km north of the Kekerengu Store on SH1 at about 1.55am on Wednesday.
It started from a controlled burn that flared up overnight due to high winds, a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said.
The fire is thought to have reached a size of about 20 hectares.