If you're heading north of Kaikoura there is no need to take a detour any longer during daylight hours.

State Highway 1 (SH1) is re-opening Friday afternoon, more than a year after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the seaside town.

The coastal highway link between Picton and Christchurch was badly damaged during the November 2016 quake and will now re-open during the day.

Motorists are being reminded that two areas of the SH1 will close overnight from 8.30pm until 7 am.

The closure areas are (north of Kaikoura) between Clarence and Mangamaunu and (south of Kaikoura) between Goose Bay and Peketa.

Information (on the closures) is being shared by the ferries and i-SITEs, there is electronic road side signage and a checkpoint just south of Blenheim from 7pm to 6am.

"Road crews at the checkpoint will help people make the right travel choices for their journeys and prevent them getting stuck further down the coast at the closure zone," says NZ Transport Agency earthquake recovery manager Tim Crow.

The Transport Agency is also reminding people not to plan to use the road any earlier than Friday afternoon, as road crews will be working up until the last minute to get the road ready.

An exact time for the highway re-opening is yet to be confirmed.

The re-opening will give drivers two viable options for travel around the upper South Island, including the alternate route (via Lewis Pass).

- NZ Newswire