Anti-mining protesters found themselves split into two groups when a slip came down in the Karangahake Gorge on Saturday afternoon.
The slip covered State Highway 2 completely, police said, around 12:30pm. It was reopened around 7pm Saturday night.
A few hundred protesters braved the wet conditions to fight against mining on the Coromandel and the gorge, located between Hamilton and the Coromandel Peninsula.
"We've had quite a day, but are overwhelmed by the support from our wider community, with people turning up from as far away as Gisbourne to show support for our mountain,' said spokeswoman Susan Durcan.
"Many people came who had never been to a protest before, with signs showing their support and went home saying how grateful they were to have been part of the day."
Green MP Catherine Delahunty was one of those protesting.
"The fact that Karangahake, a sacred maunga lying deep in the heart of conservation land, is being opened up for mining is shocking and wrong."
Gold has been found by mining companies in the Karangahake area, to the dismay of conservationists.
Newshub.
