The best thing the public can do to help the firefighting effort in the Far North is to stay away

Five helicopters and six pieces of heavy machinery are being used to help 44 firefighters battle the 24-hundred hectare blaze, that's now been burning for more than two weeks.

Residents of Kaimaumau, north of Kaitaia, are still on standby to evacuate if conditions worsen.

While State Highway One is open, Fire and Emergency Incident Controller John Sutton says people should avoid the area if they can.

He says there seems to be an increase in traffic at the moment, with machinery and firefighters moving around, it would be helpful if people stayed away.