Firefighting on the Port Hills will focus on "consolidating the perimeter of the fire and extinguishing hotspots today," Fire and Emergency (FENZ) says.
Incident Controller Steve Kennedy said in a statement the intention was to "create a 50 metre wide edge around the whole 24km perimeter of the fire ground before stronger winds develop tomorrow".
Sixteen crews started the task this morning, taking over from night shift staff. Diggers and a bulldozer were also at the scene today, with up to seven helicopters in the air.
Kennedy said in an update shortly after midday that a drone will be used this evening to identify hotspots, adding "our biggest hotspots are the old skids sites, and we are putting in a lot of resources to put those out".
Skids sites are designated area in forests used to process trees extracted from the forest and store them ahead of transport.
He said FENZ had planned to use heavy machinery "to dig that out, cool it down and let it burn a bit," before extinguishing.
Kennedy reinforced the message that the public should stay away.
"The safety of our crews and the public is still a major consideration for us, as this is an active fire ground," Kennedy said.
"We have been able to get almost all the residents home but they all know that the fire is not out, and they may have to evacuate again at short notice."
However, he said he is comfortable allowing evacuated residents back into their homes.
"It was really good to get them back in, we are pretty comfortable to put them back in… last time [during the 2017 Port Hills fire] I was evacuated myself. We have crews doing reassurance patrols as well."
Christchurch City Council local controller Neville Riley said an emergency operations centre was available to support those evacuated or otherwise impacted by the fires.
Riley said the state of local emergency set on Wednesday by the Christchurch and Selwyn mayors remains in place.
He said the mayors met today and agreed to continue the state of local emergency until further notice.
Riley also reiterated bike track closures alongside the Port Hills, west of the Rāpaki Track.
Civil Defence Emergency Management Canterbury reminded locals yesterday the area is under a prohibited fire season, meaning a "total fire ban is in place".
"Do not light any fires and please check on any fires you have had in the previous week to ensure that they are fully extinguished," it said.
FENZ said satellite imagery has helped them define the area that has been burnt within the 24km perimeter, and the fireground will be surveyed again using thermal imaging tonight.
The Christchurch Adventure Park, which was reopened following the 2017 Port Hills blaze, was opened to staff to assess the damage.
The park's chairperson, Maurice Noone, said the damage was "less than first feared" and that while it is "early days", "the initial impression is that the damage is largely confined to new growth following the 2017 fires and to one area within the park".
"Pleasingly, the village and its immediate surrounds, the chairlift and the ziplines all appear to have escaped any significant damage.
"However, full inspections will be required to confirm this and to identify if there is any damage that is not currently visible. We are currently working through a process to be able to commence this work once we are granted access back to the park."
Noone said he is hoping the park will be able to reopen "within the next few months".
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