Mt Eden summit road reopens after resealing

The Mt Eden summit road has reopened after heavy rain delayed its resealing for nearly two weeks.

The road was closed to vehicles on September 28 and was scheduled to be resurfaced by the middle of this month.

The Auckland City Council said road works were significantly delayed by rain which prevented a dry base being laid.

Mt Eden residents were concerned that the resealing had been ineffectual, and that the tar had not set properly.

But council spokeswoman Charlotte Haycock said the council had reopened the road on Tuesday and that there had been no problems with the resealing process.

The cleaning up of the summit road is part of a plan by the council to upgrade Maungawhau-Mt Eden from a viewing point to a comprehensive visitor centre with better transport options.

It is considering alternatives to the heavy vehicles that use the summit road, including pay-per-use shuttle buses. More than 40 tourist buses drive to the summit each day.

The plan aims to protect the volcanic cone from degradation, and reduce conflict on the crowded road between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

The council has also proposed a visitor centre, in the space formerly known as Langton's tea kiosk, capable of hosting 400,000 visitors a year.