Heavy rain forced the closure of State Highway 6 between Fox Glacier and Haast this afternoon.
The NZ Transport Agency confirmed the closure about 5.30pm, following a culvert washout at Thirsty Creek.
The highway was expected to remain closed in both directions until an inspection could be carried out tomorrow morning.
Westland — which had been the subject of a heavy rain warning — received almost 70mm between 6am to mid-afternoon, MetService figures showed.