What has become a costly headache for motorists is proving to be good for business for one Ashburton mechanic.
Matthew Colgan from Collision Plus told Breakfast he had more vehicles coming through his workshop after hitting potholes on State Highway 1 south of Ashburton.
"We've got a lot of damaged rims. They hit a pothole and it cracks," he said.
He said he was now repairing two to three vehicles a month with cracked wheels and damaged rims caused by potholes, with repair bills typically costing between $400 and $500.
"People are pretty frustrated about it," he said.
"They're paying road user charges, so they don't think they should also have to pay for damage caused by bad roads."
Despite the extra work, Colgan said he would much rather see the roads repaired.
"Be aware and try and avoid the potholes. I don't want to say that too much because I do get a bit of business out of it," he joked.
More than 100 potholes after heavy rain
Mechanic Matthew Colgan said business was booming for him as more vehicles required repairs after driving on State Highway 1 south of Ashburton. (Source: Breakfast)
The increase in repair work followed last week's heavy rain, which left a 1km stretch of State Highway 1 near Longbeach Rd south of Ashburton riddled with more than 100 potholes.
The damage forced one lane of the highway to close over the weekend, with stop/go traffic management still in place while crews carry out temporary repairs.
The disruption has added lengthy delays for motorists travelling between Ashburton and Timaru, with some reporting waits of up to 45 minutes.
Local Facebook pages have also been flooded with photos and videos of damaged roads, stranded vehicles and long queues, as frustrated motorists vent about the worsening conditions.
"You have to remember where the potholes are," one said.
Residents say driving the route has become part obstacle course, part memory test.
"You have to try and remember where they are, particularly at night when you've got your lights on dip," one driver said.
"There'll be a string of them and it's really hard to pick where they are."
Others say they've changed the vehicles they drive just to cope with the road.
"We actually take a ute in preference to a car because it's more robust because of all the potholes on the roads," another resident said.
One car enthusiast said he has stopped enjoying the drive altogether.
"Potholes aren't good for lowered cars. Just seeing everyone dive around them rather than go over them. I think everyone's trying to save their suspension."
He believed some potholes were "almost knee-deep".
Another resident says the cost of repairs is becoming another financial burden.
"You hit a decent enough pothole and you're looking at possibly a wheel alignment. It's causing people monetary stress, and I don't think many people have spare money for car repairs."
'Everyone's annoyed'
Sales representative Gary O'Hanlon drives around 1000km every week and said this was the worst he had seen the highway.
"Everyone's annoyed," he said.
He's even stopped taking his classic car out on the road and says he recently had a frightening near miss.
"I had a vehicle come onto my side of the road two days ago trying to dodge a pothole."
Safety concerns growing
Road safety campaigner Geoff Upson said potholes are far more than an inconvenience.
"A pothole big enough for a vehicle to bottom out could potentially cause the driver to lose control and crash, leading to serious injury or worse."
He says motorists swerving to avoid potholes can create additional risks for other road users, particularly on busy highways.
Council and NZTA respond
Ashburton District Council said potholes are common during winter, particularly after prolonged rain and freezing temperatures.
Since the start of July, the council has received 28 reports of potholes across its local road network and says contractors are carrying out temporary repairs while more permanent work is scheduled for spring and summer.
The council said it also regularly passed reports about state highway potholes to New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
NZTA said the damaged section of SH1 was reconstructed earlier this year using a first coat of chip seal, but last week's exceptional rainfall significantly worsened existing issues before the final waterproof seal could be applied.
Temporary repairs are continuing, with permanent work to be carried out once weather conditions improve.
For now, traffic management remained in place while crews work to reopen both lanes of SH1.
Motorists were urged to slow down, allow extra travel time and drive to the conditions.
For many locals, the hope was simple — that the next trip between Ashburton and Timaru won't end with another expensive visit to the mechanic.
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