KEY POINTS:
Earthworks have started on a new $14 million road being built in the Far North to protect New Zealand's oldest buildings.
The 1.6km Kerikeri heritage bypass will take all traffic out of the historic Kerikeri Basin and Stone Store area on to a new road linking Kerikeri and Waipapa Rds.
South Auckland-based contractor HEB Smithbridge has started clearing vegetation and preliminary earthworks at both ends of the road.
Sniffer dogs have been used along the planned route to seek out any kiwi that might be in danger from the work.
But the Far North District Council said that, so far, there were no signs of any kiwi in the bush.
Other pre-construction activity includes archaeological work and monitoring traffic movement vibrations with seismographs.
This will guide any blasting work needed in the first stage of building the road.
Traffic congestion, road vibration and pollution are behind the move to take traffic away from the Stone Store and Mission House in the Kerikeri Basin, which is also the site of Hongi Hika's historic Kororipo Pa.
The bypass, funded by Land Transport New Zealand and the Government, will have an 80m bridge over the Kerikeri River, a cycleway and a footpath.
It's expected to be open to traffic in late 2008.
