The great Christchurch road cone hunt is under way.

The agency in charge of street and underground pipe repairs in Christchurch, Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT) has launched an operation to retrieve hundreds of lost road cones from the city's streets and streams.

The safety markers have become common since the earthquakes, thanks to one of the biggest rebuilds the country has ever seen.

Photo: RNZ / Nicola Grigg

An estimated 50,000 cones were deployed at the peak of the rebuild, to direct traffic and keep road workers safe.

SCIRT head Ian Campbell said a team of two would scour the streets in their so-called "cone mobile" in an effort to bring any stray cones home.

"They do cost money and they can be re-used but also, as part of us coming towards the end of our programme, we want to tidy up - take everything we've put on the streets off the streets - and that includes the cones."

The clean-up should take about a month, Mr Campbell said.