State Highway 2 through the Karangahake Gorge will be closed for a couple of days later this month.

Waka Kotahi Transport Agency says the closure will be between 8pm and 5am on Monday, February 15, and Tuesday, February 16, for road resurfacing.

Signage and cordons will be in place between Paeroa and Waihi.

Waikato System Manager Cara Lauder says detours for this route are significant and encourages motorists to plan their travel for outside closure times, where possible.

'The southbound detour takes motorists south on SH2 from Waihi to Tauranga, then onto State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Range, State Highway 24 to Matamata, State Highway 27 to Tatuanui and State Highway 26 to Paeroa. Motorists travelling from Paeroa take the same route, in the opposite direction.

'Northbound, motorists travelling from Waihi should take State Highway 25, turning onto State Highway 25A (Kopu-Hikuai Road) and then State Highway 26 between Kopu and Paeroa, with motorists travelling from Paeroa taking the same route, in reverse.”

Residents access will be available to Mackaytown and Karangahake Village from the western (Paeroa) side and to Waikino Village from the eastern (Waihi) side.

There will also be a one-way detour for northbound traffic between 8pm and 5am on Wednesday, February 17, and Thursday, February 18, via Old Tauranga Road and Waitawheta Road to allow for resurfacing works between Waikino and the Athenree Gorge.

These works are part of the Waka Kotahi spring/summer road maintenance programme, which will see repairs and reseals on state highways across the Waikato to ensure the safety and resilience of the state highway network.

In the event of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, work may be postponed. Visit the interactive Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz) for the latest information on roadworks, traffic, road closures and detours to help plan your trip.

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey this summer. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAWaikatoBoP
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiWaiBP
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)