Wānaka hillside burn smoky but under control

A controlled burn on a hillside above Wānaka may look dramatic but is not concerning firefighters.

Just after lunch time thick smoke was rising from an area ablaze above Mount Barker Road on the Criffel Range.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Darryl Ball is comfortable with the situation and says people can expect the fire to continue to burn into the night and Thursday morning.

FENZ says locals can expect the fire to still be burning into Thursday morning.

"It is quite a large one on the hill right above Wānaka there, just below Roy," Mr Ball says.

"There's no real road access there, but it's probably a good five hundred metres above the road."

FENZ was made aware of the planned fire in advance and received an update from the landowner at approximately 2pm.

"He advised that all is still under control, but he is burning some very thick stuff at the moment, so it's showing up as being quite smokey."

The fire is estimated to be between 80 and 100 hectares in size.

It is a good day for a burn off of this type.

"It's the best time of year to be doing it," Mr Ball says.

"My understanding is it's quite still there at the moment, with very little wind, which means two things, your smoke drift is going to be relatively minimal but your fire spread is going to be very slow as well."

He says it is "a land clearing job".