New Zealand State Highway network
The highways were originally designated on a two-tier system, National (SH 1-8) and Provincial, with national highways having a higher standard and funding priorities. Now all are State Highways, and the network consists of SH 1 running the length of both main islands, SH 2-5 and 10-58 in the North Island, and SH 6-8 and 60-99 in the South Island.
State Highways are marked on the side of the road by red shield-shaped signs with white numbering (shields for the former Provincial Highways were blue). Road maps usually use this convention.
From 2001 information, the busiest stretch of SH 1 was the Auckland Harbour Bridge, with over 150,000 cars crossing (either way) each day. The least busy parts of the network (excluding off-ramps and on-ramps) are parts of SH 43 north of Whangamomona, which get fewer than 200 cars (counting both directions) in a day. Some of the lesser trafficked highways still contain some unsealed sections.
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2 Distance Markers 3 State Highway 1 4 List of New Zealand State Highways 5 See also 6 External links |
History of the State Highways
Since the 1980s State Highways have been the responsibility of Transit New Zealand, a state-owned corporation. Since Transit NZ funds only State Highways, city or district councils have sometimes negotiated reallocation of highway routes within their boundaries in order to let Transit part-fund major upgrades to the regional roading network. For example, SH 1 historically ran through the centre of Christchurch, but is now the Christchurch bypass route, while SH 73 and 74 have been extended further into the city to cover major arterial routes.
Highway routes around Tauranga and in the Napier/Hastings region have undergone major changes in recent years.
Distance Markers
State Highways are marked with posts at irregular intervals giving the distance in kilometres from the start of the highway. All bridges on the network have, at either end, small plaques showing the distance from the start of the highway, usually in the form of a number in kilometres, an oblique stroke, and a further number in hundreds of metres. A plaque marked 237/141, for example, would indicate that the bridge is 14.1 km past a set distance post, that post being 237 km from the start of the highway.
As of 2004 these plaques are gradually being replaced by a new system which gives each bridge a single number showing the distance from the start of the highway in hundreds of metres. Under the new system the bridge used as an example above would show a plaque with its name and the number 2511, as it is 251.1 km from the start of the highway.
In this way, travellers can accurately assess their location, and road authorities can identify each bridge uniquely.
State Highway 1
SH 1 starts at Stirling Point, 1 km south of Bluff, and then goes north to Invercargill, and north-east to Gore. It runs due east to Balclutha, then up through Milton to Dunedin. The highway continues along the east coast past Palmerston, Oamaru and Timaru, moving inland a bit and then north-east through Ashburton toward Christchurch, which it now bypasses. After traversing the northern end of the Canterbury Plains it winds through some ranges culminating in the Hundalees before returning to the spectacular, mountain-hugging coastline around Kaikoura. SH 1 then continues up the coastline for 80 km before diverting inland to Blenheim and up to Picton at the north of the South Island, terminating at the inter-island ferry terminal.
Ferries cross Cook Strait to the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington. There have been calls for the ferries to be classified as part of the State Highway network, in the belief that this would increase the Government's powers to intervene and keep the ferries running at times of industrial action.
The northern part of SH 1 commences at Wellington Airport and runs through the city and up the Ngauranga Gorge to the western coast. Difficult terrain and a large number of satellite towns make this an area of considerable congestion and a high accident rate. SH 1 passes through Levin and shares the route of SH 3 for a 6-km section between the small towns of Sanson and Bulls as it crosses the Rangitikei River. Turning north-east, it follows the river to Taihape, then climbs to the central plateau at Waiouru. The stretch between Waiouru and Turangi is known as the Desert Road, and is frequently closed by snow in winter. There are spectacular views of the three volcanoes Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro.
Turangi is near the southern tip of Lake Taupo and the highway skirts the eastern shore. North of Taupo, the highway turns north-westwards and descends through extensive tracts of plantation forest to Tokoroa and Tirau. Here it joins the Hamilton - Rotorua route and follows the course of the Waikato River through Cambridge to Hamilton. A $NZ500 million project to convert the entire 160 km between Cambridge and Auckland to a four-lane divided carriageway is about one third complete as of late 2003.
From Auckland the highway tends to follow the eastern side of the Northland peninsula, passing through Warkworth, Wellsford, Whangarei and Kaitaia. The highway ends at Waitiki Landing, from where SH 1F - designated in 2004 - runs to Cape Reinga.
List of New Zealand State Highways
National
- SH 1 SH 1F at Waitiki Landing to Bluff, 2022 km
- SH 1A SH 1 at Silverdale to Orewa (SH 1 Northern Motorway extension)
- SH 1B SH 1 at Taupiri to SH 1 at Cambridge via Gordonton (eastern bypass of Hamilton)
- SH 1F SH 1 Waitiki Landing to Cape Reinga, 21 km, designated in 2004. The first 700 m is being sealed in 2004 and the rest will be sealed between 2005 and 2008.
- SH 2 SH 1 at Pokeno junction (45 km south of Auckland) to SH 1 at Ngauranga Interchange (5 km from Wellington) via the east coast (Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Hastings, Woodville, Masterton and the Hutt Valley), 964 km
- SH 3 SH 1 at Hamilton to SH 2 at Woodville via the west coast (New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North), 492 km
- SH 3A SH 3 near Waitara to SH 3 at Inglewood (New Plymouth bypass), 16 km
- SH 4 SH 3 11 km south of Te Kuiti to SH 3 at Wanganui via Taumarunui and Raetihi, 242 km
- SH 5 SH 1 at Tirau to SH 2 at Napier via Rotorua and Taupo, 276 km
- SH 6 SH 1 at Blenheim to SH 1 at Invercargill via the west coast (Nelson, Westport, Greymouth, Hokitika, Wanaka, Queenstown), 1099 km
- SH 6A SH 6 at Frankton to Queenstown, 7 km
- SH 7 SH 1 at Waipara (60 km north of Christchurch) to SH 6 at Greymouth via the Lewis Pass, 276 km
- SH 7A SH 7 at Waiau Bridge to Hanmer Springs, 9 km.
- SH 8 SH 1 at Timaru to SH 1 at Milton via the Mackenzie Basin and Central Otago (Twizel, Cromwell, Alexandra), 537 km
- SH 8A Tarras to Luggate (north of Lake Dunstan), 21 km
- SH 8B SH 8 at Deadmans Point to SH6 at Cromwell (Crosses Lake Dunstan), 3 km
- There is no SH 9
North Island
- SH 10 Awanui to SH 1 at Pakaraka, 106 km
- SH 11 Paihia to SH 1 at Kawakawa, 16 km
- SH 12 SH 1 79 km south of Kaitaia to SH 1 28 km north of Wellsford, via Kaikohe and Dargaville, 223 km
- SH 14 SH 1 at Whangarei to Dargaville, 58 km
- SH 15 SH 1 at Whangarei to port of Whangarei, 4 km
- SH 16 Port of Auckland to SH 1 at Wellsford via Helensville (including the Northwestern Motorway in Auckland)
- SH 17 SH 1 at Albany to Kaukapakapa (old SH 1 route superseded by motorway), 25 km
- SH 18 SH 1 at Upper Harbour Highway interchange to SH 16 at Massey (Upper Harbour Drive and Hobsonville Road - redesignated from Riverhead Road further north), 15 km (Motorway section from Albany Highway to Massey, running parallel to the existing state highway, under construction)
- SH 20 Hillsborough to SH 1 Manukau interchange (Southwestern Motorway), approx 20 km. Will eventually bypass Manukau city centre and link to Northwestern Motorway (projected completion 2012)
- SH 20A SH 20 south of Walmsley Road interchange to Auckland International Airport, 8 km
- SH 20B SH 20 at Puhinui Road interchange to Auckland International Airport, 3 km
- SH 21 SH 1 5 km south of Hamilton to SH 3 5 km south of Hamilton, via Hamilton Airport and Mystery Creek, 4 km
- SH 22 SH 1 at Drury to Pukekohe (the continuation south to SH 23 near Raglan has had its State Highway designation removed)
- SH 23 SH 1 at Hamilton to Raglan, 48 km
- SH 24 Matamata to SH 29 near Te Poi, 12 km
- SH 25 SH 2 3 km north of Mangatarata to Waihi, via Thames, Coromandel, Whitianga and Whangamata, 240 km
- SH 25A SH 25 6 km south of Thames to SH 25 near Pauanui (shortcut across Coromandel Peninsula), 22 km
- SH 26 SH 25 6 km south of Thames to Hamilton via Paeroa, Te Aroha and Morrinsville, 102 km
- SH 27 SH 2 to SH 1 at Tirau via Matamata, 98 km
- SH 28 SH 1 at Putaruru to SH 29 near Te Poi, 21 km
- SH 29 SH 1 12 km north of Tirau to Mount Maunganui via Tauranga, 69 km
- SH 30 SH 3 at Te Kuiti to Whakatane via Mangakino and Rotorua, 231 km
- SH 30A SH 5 to SH 30 in urban Rotorua, 2 km
- SH 31 SH 3 at Otorohanga to Kawhia, 55 km
- SH 32 SH 1 at Tokoroa to SH 41 at Kuratau Junction (western side of Lake Taupo), 95 km
- SH 33 SH 2 9 km south-east of Te Puke to SH 30 at Te Ngae, 28 km
- SH 34 SH 2 near Edgecumbe to SH 30 via Kawerau, 22 km
- SH 35 SH 2 at Opotiki to Gisborne, via East Cape, 321 km
- SH 36 SH 5 at Rotorua to SH 2 at Tauranga, via Tauranga Direct Road (new designation, December 2004)
- SH 37 SH 3 at Hangatiki to Waitomo Caves, 8 km
- SH 38 SH 5 near Waiotapu to SH 2 at Wairoa via Te Urewera National Park and Lake Waikaremoana, 180 km (middle section unsealed, and not designated a State Highway)
- SH 39 SH 1 at Ngaruawahia to SH 3 at Otorohanga. The western bypass of Hamilton, approx 80 km
- SH 40 SH 3 at Ahititi to SH 4 at Maungatupoto via Ohura, 90 km
- SH 41 SH 4 at Manunui to SH 1 at Turangi, 59 km
- SH 43 SH 3 at Stratford to SH 4 at Taumarunui(The Forgotten World Highway), 161 km, approx 40 km unsealed
- SH 44 SH 3 at New Plymouth to Port Taranaki (new designation, 2004), 4 km
- SH 45 SH 3 at New Plymouth to SH 3 at Hawera via Opunake (The Surf Highway), 105 km
- SH 46 SH 47 near Papakai to SH 1 at Rangipo, 19 km
- SH 47 SH 4 at National Park to SH 41 3 km north of Turangi, 48 km
- SH 48 SH 47 9 km from National Park to Whakapapa skifield, 7 km
- SH 49 SH 4 at Tohunga Junction to SH 1 at Waiouru via Ohakune
- SH 49A SH 49 at Ohakune to SH 4 south of Horopito, 9 km.
- SH 50 SH 2 at Napier to SH 2 near Takapau (inland route), 73 km
- SH 52 Formerly SH 2 at Waipukurau to SH 2 Masterton via Pongaroa, 215 km
- SH 53 SH 2 at Featherston to Martinborough, 18 km (This breaks markedly with the general north-south pattern of the numbering, being some 200 km south of SH 54 and having the southernmost endpoints of North Island State Highways other than SH 1 and 2)
- SH 54 SH 1 at Vinegar Hill to SH 3 near Palmerston North via Feilding, 54 km
- SH 56 Palmerston North to SH 57 at Makerua, 26 km
- SH 57 SH 3 at the mouth of Manawatu Gorge to SH 1 2 km south of Levin, via Shannon, 67 km
- SH 57A Formerly part of SH 57 from SH 3 at the west end the of Manawatu Gorge to Palmerston North, 17 km
- SH 58 SH 1 at Porirua to SH 2 at Haywards, 15 km
South Island
- SH 60 Collingwood to SH 6 near Richmond via Motueka and Takaka, 117 km
- SH 61 Motueka to SH 6 at Kohatu Junction, 58 km
- SH 63 Renwick to SH 6 at Kawatiri Junction via Wairau Valley, 117 km
- SH 65 SH 6 11 km west of Murchison to SH 7 at Springs Junction, 72 km
- SH 67 Westport to 4 km past Summerlea, 54 km. Continues for a further 52 km to Karamea without State Highway designation.
- SH 67A SH 67 at Westport to Cape Foulwind, 10 km
- SH 69 Inangahua Junction to Reefton, 34 km
- SH 70 SH1 4 km south of Kaikoura to SH7 at Red Post Junction (2 km North of Culverden) via Waiau, 97 km, approx 30 km unsealed
- SH 71 SH 1 at Kaiapoi to Rangiora via Lineside Rd, 9 km
- SH 72 Formerly the inland Canterbury route from SH 1 near Rangiora to SH 1 at Temuka via the Waimakariri and Rakaia Gorges (SH 77 now covers part of this route)
- SH 73 SH 6 at Kumara Junction to SH 74 at the Tunnel Rd/Port Hills Rd interchange, Christchurch, via Arthur's Pass and Porters Pass, 235 km
- SH 73A Carmen/Main South Rds, Christchurch to Blenheim/Curtletts Rds (Originally part of SH1, then SH 73 until January 2004), 6 km
- SH 74 SH 1 at Belfast to Lyttelton via Lyttelton Road Tunnel. As of January 2004 the route now follows the eastern part of the Christchurch Ring Road
- SH 74A SH73 at Brougham/Gardiners, Christchurch to SH 74 at Palinurus/Dyers via Gardiners and Palinurus Rds. Part of the Christchurch Ring Road, 3 km
- SH 75 SH 73 near Hillmorton, Christchurch to Akaroa, 90 km
- SH 77 SH 73 at Darfield to SH 1 at Ashburton via Glentunnel and Methven, 95 km
- SH 79 SH 1 at Rangitata to SH 8 at Fairlie via Geraldine, 60 km
- SH 80 SH 8 at Pukaki Dam to Mount Cook Village, 55 km
- SH 82 SH 1 near Hook to Kurow via Waimate (north bank of Waitaki River), 71 km
- SH 83 SH 6 at Omarama to SH1 at Pukeuri Junction via Kurow, 110 km
- SH 84 SH 6 to Wanaka, 3 km
- SH 85 Alexandra to SH 1 at Palmerston via Ranfurly (The Pigroot), 157 km
- SH 87 SH 85 at Kyeburn to Mosgiel via Middlemarch and Taieri valley, 114 km
- SH 88 SH 1 at Dunedin to Port Chalmers, 13 km
- SH 89 Formerly from SH 6 near Arrowtown to Wanaka via the Crown Range, 53 km
- SH 90 Raes Junction to SH 1 3 km east of Gore via Tapanui, 67 km
- SH 91 Formerly SH 1 at Balclutha to Kaitangata, a route which later became part of SH 92, 13 km
- SH 92 Formerly Kaitangata to SH 1 at Invercargill via Balclutha and the Catlins. See SH 91 above
- SH 94 SH 1 at Gore to Milford Sound via Lumsden and Te Anau, 272 km
- SH 95 SH 94 at Te Anau to Manapouri, 21 km
- SH 96 SH 99 near Clifden to SH 1 at Mataura via Winton, 136 km
- SH 98 SH 6 at Lorneville to SH 1 near Dacre, 24 km
- SH 99 SH 6 at Lorneville to SH 6 and road to Te Anau near Clifden, via Riverton and Tuatapere, 90 km
See also
- List of towns in New Zealand
- Great South Road, New Zealand
- List of roads and highways, for notable or famous roads worldwide
