People are being asked to be patient over road access to Kaikoura.

Engineers are meeting today to discuss how to restore road access into and out of Kaikoura.

State Highway One is closed, because of a large amount of debris and substantial infrastructure damage.

The inland route is also closed because of unstable landslides.

Civil Defence controller Brett Aldridge says engineers flew over the road yesterday, and spotted significant dangers.

"We did get a military convoy through yesterday, they won't be going through today, and the engineers are meeting this morning to work through just what is required to get that road open as soon as possible."

Canterbury Civil Defence controller Baden Ewart said despite some reports, all roads into and out of the town are still closed.

He said it's not clear how long State Highway One will remain closed, because there's a huge amount of debris to be dealt with and substantial infrastructure damage.