Aerial footage has captured the scale of damage caused by a large fire as it continues to burn north of Christchurch.
The now 184-hectare fire spans about 5.5km's along the coast north of the Waimakariri River. It's believed to have broken out on Pegasus Beach last night.
In the footage, helicopters can be seen dropping buckets of water onto the fire to help firefighters on the ground tackling spot fires and hot spots.
Police have spoken to two youths in the wake of the fire, which started at Pegasus Beach. (Source: 1News)
Police say they have "strong lines of inquiry" into the cause of the fire, with several people "assisting" with their investigations.
The fire saw around 130 people evacuated from the Woodend Beach Holiday Park overnight. Fire and Emergency New Zealand said this afternoon they will be allowed to return home this evening as of 5pm.
Rachel Malloch said the blaze "raced down the beach" last night. (Source: 1News)
Incident controller Dave Berry said the situation is safe enough for them to return home, but they should be prepared for future evacuations if the conditions change.
Crews will continue to control and monitor the fire throughout the night, he said.
1News reporter Katie Stevenson spent the day with many who were shocked by the late night call to evacuate. (Source: 1News)
Anyone affected by the smoke from the fire has been advised to close their windows and doors, stay inside if it's safe to do so and avoid or reduce outdoor exercise. Anyone experiencing health issues from the Woodend fire should phone their usual general practice team in the first instance.
Fire investigators continue to investigate how the fire started.
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