Step 1
Site Assessment & Access Planning
We assess the terrain, identify viable rope access anchor points, and determine whether helicopter support is required. Access planning is integrated into every geohazard engagement from the first site visit.
Difficult Access Solutions
IRATA rope access and helicopter-deployable equipment — no access roads needed.
DIFFICULT ACCESS SOLUTIONS
Some of New Zealand's most critical geohazard problems require difficult access solutions — locations simply unreachable by conventional plant and equipment. Steep coastal cliffs, remote alpine terrain, confined urban sites, slopes above active road corridors, and locations accessible only by foot or air — these are environments where most geotechnical contractors cannot operate effectively, if at all. For GSI, difficult access is not a constraint. It is a core competency.
GeoStabilization New Zealand Ltd operates a fleet of purpose-built limited-access drill rigs — compact, track-mounted machines designed specifically for steep, confined and remote terrain. These rigs can be walked into locations inaccessible to conventional equipment, operate on slopes that would be unsafe for standard plant, and perform precision drilling and grouting operations in environments where a conventional contractor would simply decline the work. Many of these rigs were purpose-designed and built by GSI specifically for the challenges of New Zealand and Australasian terrain.
ACCESS METHODS
- —IRATA rope access from vertical and overhanging faces
- —Helicopter deployment to remote alpine and coastal sites
- —Limited-access drill rigs walked into terrain that defeats conventional plant
- —Drilling from rope access positions where no platform is possible
GSI NZ CAPABILITY
- —IRATA Level 3 certified crews holding both rope access and geotechnical qualifications
- —Helicopter-deployable drill rigs for anchor and soil nail installation
- —NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi pre-qualified, SiteWise Gold accredited and Totika Listed
THE GSI DIFFERENCE
ONE TEAM.
ONE CONTRACT.
- —IRATA Level 1 through Level 3 certified crews carry out full engineering works (not just inspections) from rope access positions on near-vertical and overhanging faces.
- —Helicopter-deployable drill rigs allow anchor and soil nail installation on slopes with no viable walking, vehicle, or crane access.
- —No sub-contractors, no hire company delays. All rope access equipment is owned, maintained, and deployed by our own crews.
HOW WE APPROACH DIFFICULT ACCESS
Step 2
Establishing the Working System
Rope access anchors are rigged from accessible crest positions. Crews descend and establish working positions for drilling, installation, and material handling — with an IRATA Level 3 supervisor managing the system throughout.
Step 3
Engineering Works from Position
From rope access positions our crews carry out the full scope of geotechnical works (rock bolts, anchors, mesh, scaling, shotcrete) with real-time engineering supervision. Conditions exposed during works are assessed and the design updated where needed.
CASE STUDY
Dome Valley SH1
State Highway 1 at Dome Valley required emergency stabilisation of cliff faces above the highway carriageway following a significant rockfall event. The cliff geometry made all conventional access methods impractical.
GSI NZ crews established rope access anchors from the cliff crest and used helicopter support to position equipment on the face. 118 rock anchors and 790 m² of TECCO mesh were installed entirely from rope access positions, restoring the highway corridor within the agreed programme.
View Full Project →FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
RELATED PROJECTS
GEOHAZARD ENGINEERING
DOME VALLEY — SH1
118 rock anchors and TECCO mesh installed entirely from rope access, no road access to the face.
View Project →GEOHAZARD ENGINEERING
RUAMAHUNGA RIVER CLIFF
492 soil nails on a helicopter-only access bluff, Wairarapa emergency response.
View Project →GEOHAZARD ENGINEERING
LONE KAURI & KAREKARE ROADS
2,647 soil nails across 8 slip sites, West Auckland emergency response using rope access.
View Project →Get in Touch
No Access Road?
No Problem.
Our IRATA-certified rope access crews and purpose-built remote equipment reach sites that standard plant simply can't. Tell us where the problem is.
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