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State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand
roading network
, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island
, SH 1S in the South Island
.
SH 1 is 2047 km long, 1106 km in the North Island and 941 km in the South Island. For most of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway, with at-grade
intersections and property accesses, in both rural and urban areas. These sections have some passing lanes. There are sections of motorway in the vicinity of Auckland
, Wellington
, Christchurch
and Dunedin
.
, at the northern tip of the Aupouri Peninsula
. The first stretch, to Waitiki Landing, was finally sealed in April 2010. From Waitiki Landing, SH 1 travels down the central-eastern side of the peninsula to Kaitaia
, New Zealand's northernmost town. The highway then takes a south-eastern direction across the North Auckland Peninsula
to Kawakawa
in the Bay of Islands
, before turning south to reach the city of Whangarei
, the largest urban area in Northland.
SH 1 then skirts the southern shore of the Whangarei Harbour, meeting the coast briefly at Ruakaka, before turning inland and winding through the Brynderwyn Hills before approaching the upper reaches of the Kaipara Harbour
. The highway crosses into the Auckland Region
, and passes through Wellsford
and Warkworth
, again heading for the east coast.
Near Puhoi
, on the Hibiscus Coast
, SH 1 becomes the Auckland Northern Motorway
, the main road north of New Zealand's largest urban area. The first 7 km of the motorway is an automated toll road
, with the toll being NZ$2 each way for cars. At Orewa
, the motorway becomes toll-free, crossing farmland to North Shore City, the northern of Auckland's four former cities. The road crosses through suburbs to the Waitemata Harbour
, which it briefly follows before crossing it by the Auckland Harbour Bridge
, New Zealand's second-longest and most widely recognised road bridge. The motorway comes off the bridge into Auckland's city centre, and forms its western boundary as SH 1 proceeds to the Central Motorway Junction
.
At this junction (also known as Spaghetti Junction
), SH 1 becomes the Auckland Southern Motorway
, and, after sweeping around the southern end of central Auckland, proceeds in a south-easterly direction. The section from the Central Motorway Junction and the Newmarket Viaduct, 3 to the south, is the country's busiest section of road, with more than 200,000 vehicle movements a day between Khyber Pass Road and Gillies Ave. The motorway continues in a broadly southeast direction through southern Auckland city, through Manukau City and Papakura
, to the top of the Bombay Hills, just short of the Auckland/Waikato boundary.
At Bombay, SH 1 becomes the Waikato Expressway
, a four-lane dual-carriageway expressway. The expressway takes the highway down the Bombay Hills to Mercer, where SH 1 meets the Waikato River
which it follows for the next 130 km. The Waikato Expressway temporarily ends at Longswamp and becomes a three-laned dual carriageway, resuming at Rangiriri and continuing to its current terminus just south of Ohinewai. A $650 million project is underway to upgrade the existing Longswamp to Rangiriri section, and to extend the expressway from Ohinewai to south of Cambridge.
Returning to single carriageway, SH 1 runs through Huntly
and Ngaruawahia
to Hamilton
, New Zealand's fourth-largest city. The highway bypasses the city centre to the west, before crossing to the east side and proceeding south-east out of the city. A small section of expressway exists south of Hamilton, part of the Waikato Expressway.
SH 1 continues through Cambridge
, and along the shore of Lake Karapiro
, the last of eight artificial lakes on the Waikato River. At Piarere, SH 1 leaves the actual Waikato River, but continues to follow in its general direction. The highway continues to the town of Tirau
, where it turns south to pass through Putaruru
and Tokoroa
and the surrounding pine
forest area.
SH 1 meets the Waikato River again at Wairakei, where the highway follows its course into the tourist town of Taupo. The highway meets Lake Taupo
, the Waikato's source and the largest lake in New Zealand. Leaving Taupo, SH 1 followes the eastern shore of the lake for 50 km to Turangi
, at the southern end of the lake.
Turning southwards again, SH 1 leaves Turangi and ascends onto the North Island Volcanic Plateau
, passing through the fringes of the Tongariro National Park
and into the Rangipo Desert
, passing the volcanoes of Ruapehu
, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro
. The road between Rangipo (10 km south of Turangi) and Waiouru is commonly known as the Desert Road, and is frequently closed by snow during winter. At km 794 on the Desert Road, SH 1 is 1074 metres (3,523.6 ft) above sea level - the highest point on the New Zealand State Highway network
. SH 1 enters the Manawatu-Wanganui Region
, and descends through an army training area to the end of the Desert Road at Waiouru
.
From Waiouru, the highway follows tributaries of the Rangitikei River
through Taihape
to Mangaweka, where the highway meets the river. It then followes the western bank of the Rangitikei through Ohingaiti and Hunterville to Bulls
. At Bulls, SH 1 turns southeast to cross the river, turning southwest again 5 km down the road at Sanson
. SH 1 crosses the Manawatu Plain, passing the city of Palmerston North
about 20 km west of it. It passes through Foxton
, before reaching the end of the plain at Levin
.
From Levin, SH 1 follows the narrowing western coastal plain southwards, and crosses into the Wellington Region
15 km south of Levin. The road passes through Otaki
and Waikanae
to the main town of the Kapiti Coast
, Paraparaumu
. The highway is dotted with a large number of satellite towns and villages, and combined with the narrowness of the road, difficult terrain, and the high traffic flow, the stretch of highway between Levin and Paraparaumu is an area of considerable congestion and a high number of accidents.
From Paraparaumu, the road is briefly a four-laned dual carriageway to Mackays Crossing, returning to a two-laned single carriageway and passing through Paekakariki
. Between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay, SH 1 and the North Island Main Trunk rail line travel along a narrow strip of land between the hills and the sea. The Centennial Highway, as it is known, is a narrow two-lane road that was highly accident prone until a centreline wire rope crash barrier was installed. Travelling through Pukerua Bay, the road becomes dual carriageway once more to Plimmerton, narrowing to single carriageway through the northern suburbs of Porirua to Paremata. This section between Mackays Crossing and Porirua is planned to be relieved by the billion-dollar inland Transmission Gully Motorway
, due to be constructed within the next 20 years.
At Paremata, SH 1 resumes as dual carriageway along the edge of the Porirua Harbour to Porirua city centre. At Porirua, the highway becomes the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway
, and travels into the northern suburbs of Wellington
, New Zealand's capital city. The motorway ends at Johnsonville, and SH 1 descends through the Ngauranga Gorge
to the Ngauranga Interchange
, on the shore of Wellington Harbour
. At the interchange, traffic leaves for the Cook Strait
ferries to Picton
and the South Island
. Ferry services operate frequently to allow vehicular, passenger, and rail traffic to access the South Island. 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 them running at times of industrial action.
At Ngauranga, SH 1 becomes the Wellington Urban Motorway
, skirting the shore of the harbour then passing the city centre to the west. The motorway ends at Te Aro
, where a one-way system takes traffic to the Basin Reserve
. Northbound traffic uses the recently-opened Wellington Inner City Bypass
, while southbound traffic uses Vivian Street
. From the Basin Reserve, SH 1 travels through the Mount Victoria Tunnel
to Wellington's eastern suburbs and Wellington International Airport
. SH 1 ends at a roundabout at the entrance to the airport.
. It descends alongside this river and across the Wairau Plain before reaching Blenheim
. From Blenheim the road travels briefly through some of Marlborough's famous vineyards, then passes the lower slopes of the steep Kaikoura Ranges
where the road has occasional glimpses of the sea to the east over Lake Grassmere
. This stretch is one of the most scenic, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and 2500 m peaks on the other. From the small town of Ward the highway heads to the coast and follows it to Kaikoura
. After passing Kaikoura
, it veers inland, twisting tortuously through the Hundalee Ranges before emerging at the northern end of the Canterbury Plains
.
It passes through Amberley
before becoming the Christchurch Northern Motorway
, bypassing Kaiapoi
. The motorway ends just north of Styx, and SH 1 bypasses Christchurch
to the north-west through Harewood
and Yaldhurst. South of Christchurch, it becomes virtually straight as it crosses the wide fan of the Canterbury plains, crossing the country's longest road bridge at Rakaia
before reaching Ashburton
, and then veering back towards the coast, which it reaches at Timaru
. Between Ashburton and Timaru it crosses Rangitata Island
in the Rangitata River
.
South of Timaru, the road again passes through gentle hill country, staying close to the coast but largely out of sight of it. The road veers inland briefly, bypassing Waimate
as it reaches the plains around the mouth of the Waitaki River
, which it crosses to enter Otago. It passes through Oamaru
, from where it turns inland briefly, crossing undulating hill country before again reaching the coast at Moeraki
. From here the road again hugs the coast along Katiki Beach, remaining closer to the ocean than at any point since Kaikoura. The highway turns inland at Shag Point, passing through Palmerston
and Waikouaiti
.
South of Waikouaiti the road again becomes steep, rising sharply over the Kilmog hill before dropping down to the coast at Blueskin Bay
, then rising again via Dunedin-Waitati Highway (a two- to four-lane single carriageway
which used to be designated a motorway) to the northern outskirts of Dunedin
. From here it descends a steep, twisting stretch of Pine Hill Road through Pine Hill
, before passing the University of Otago
and heading through the city centre. For much of its route through Dunedin the highway is split into two separate northbound and southbound roads, part of the city's one-way street system. These roads traverse the city 2-3 blocks southeast of the heart of the CBD
. At the southern end of central Dunedin, the highway again becomes a single road, the Caversham
By-pass, which rises along the Caversham Valley before again becoming a motorway at the saddle of Lookout Point.
The four-lane motorway (Dunedin Southern Motorway
) runs through Dunedin's southern suburbs until the interchange with SH 87 at Mosgiel
. SH1 then heads southwest across the Taieri Plains
. The area between the Taieri
and Waipori River
s is flood-prone, and the highway crosses this on a major embankment known colloquially as the flood-free highway. SH1 continues through gentle hill country and along the shore of Lake Waihola
, then crosses the Tokomairiro Plains into Milton
. South of Milton is a major junction with SH 8
at Clarksville Junction. SH 1 continues to cross rolling hill country to reach Balclutha
.
From Balclutha, the highway turns west, veering briefly north as it heads inland to avoid the rough hills of The Catlins
. It passes through the small town of Clinton, New Zealand
before reaching the major provincial town of Gore
. Because of the names of these two towns, this stretch of the highway was christened "The Presidential Highway" during the time of the Clinton-Gore administration
in the United States. At Gore the highway crosses the Mataura River
; from here the road again turns south to roughly follow the river. The highway passes through Mataura before turning west at Edendale
. Over its last stretch the road veers southwest before reaching the city of Invercargill
. In central Invercargill it meets the southern end of SH 6
and turns due south, skirting the estuary of the New River and Bluff Harbour. It passes through the small town of Bluff
before reaching its terminus at Stirling Point, a kilometre south of Bluff. A commemorative signpost at Stirling Point indicates distances to major world centres and to the start of the highway at Picton.
Parts of the road are steep by international standards. Most steep sections having a combination of passing lanes (uphill), and crawler lanes or stopping bays (downhill) to allow heavy and slow vehicles to pull out of the way to let other vehicles pass.
NZTA announced in September 2010 that is was replacing the last three ford
s on SH 1S. The shingle fan fords are near Kaikoura
, and while generally being dry, on about 28 days a year state highway traffic has to detour around them due to high water levels on old single-lane bridges, leading to delays on a major freight route. With the detour bridges reaching the end of their lifespan, NZTA is replacing the fords with culvert
s.
took control of State Highways in 1989, SH 1's route has changed in some places.
Construction of motorways has diverted the route in many places. A large section of SH 1N via Orewa, Dairy Flat and central Albany was bypassed between Silverdale and Albany in 1999 and 2009 by extensions of the Auckland Northern Motorway. The former route was re-designated SH 17. The extension of the Dunedin Southern Motorway
has also seen changes in the highway, notably to bypass the town of Fairfield
.
In Hamilton, SH 1N originally ran through the city centre rather than via Frankton. The original route was via Te Rapa Road, Ulster Street, Victoria Street, Bridge Street and Cobham Drive, which is now Hamilton Urban Route 4. The current highway was diverted via Avalon Drive, Greenwood Street, Kahikatea Drive and Normandy Avenue. Continued improvements have meant SH 1N now bypasses a number of small towns in the northern Waikato.
In Porirua, north of Mana, in the 1990s an inland realignment was made and the road four-laned to just south of Pukerua Bay.
In Christchurch, SH 1S originally ran via the city centre rather than around the outskirts via Harewood. The original route was via Main North Road, Cranford Street, Sherborne Stree, Bealey Avenue, Madras and Gasson Streets (north)/Barbados and Waltham Strees (south), Broughham Street, the Chrischurch Southern Arterial Motorway, Curletts Road, Blenheim Road, and Main South Road. The section from the Queen Elizabeth II Drive to Broughham Street is now a local road, while the remainder of the route forms parts of SH 74, 73, and 73A.
Re-routing also occurred in Whangarei and Timaru, removing SH 1 from their city centres. The original route through Whangarei via Kamo Road, Bank Street, Water Street and Maunu Road was diverted via Western Hills Drive, while the original route through Timaru via Stafford and King Streets was diverted via Theodosia Street and Craigie Avenue.
In the southern South Island, several particularly twisting sections of SH 1S have been rebuilt to remove sharp bends and to generally improve road conditions. These include stretches at Normanby, near Timaru
; Waianakarua; at Tumai, near Palmerston
; and on the Dunedin Northern Motorway
near Waitati
. An extensive section between Allanton and the Taieri River
was realigned during the 1970s.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
roading network
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, SH 1S in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
.
SH 1 is 2047 km long, 1106 km in the North Island and 941 km in the South Island. For most of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway, with at-grade
At-grade intersection
An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting...
intersections and property accesses, in both rural and urban areas. These sections have some passing lanes. There are sections of motorway in the vicinity of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
.
North Island (SH 1N)
SH 1 starts at Cape ReingaCape Reinga
Cape Reinga is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is located over 100 km north of the nearest small town of Kaitaia. State Highway 1 extends all the way to the Cape, but until 2010 was unsealed gravel road for the...
, at the northern tip of the Aupouri Peninsula
Aupouri Peninsula
The Aupouri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east...
. The first stretch, to Waitiki Landing, was finally sealed in April 2010. From Waitiki Landing, SH 1 travels down the central-eastern side of the peninsula to Kaitaia
Kaitaia
Kaitaia is a town in the far north region of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupouri Peninsula which is about 160 km northwest of Whangarei. It is the last major settlement on the main road north to the capes and bays on the peninsula...
, New Zealand's northernmost town. The highway then takes a south-eastern direction across the North Auckland Peninsula
North Auckland Peninsula
The North Auckland Peninsula, frequently referred to simply as the Northland Peninsula, is located in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is easily confused with, though not the same as Northland Region, which occupies the top 80% of the peninsula...
to Kawakawa
Kawakawa, New Zealand
Kawakawa is a small town in the Northland Region of northern New Zealand. It had a population of 1347 at the 2006 census, down from 1401 in 2001. Kawakawa developed as a service town when coal was found in the area in 1861, but there is no longer coal mining here...
in the Bay of Islands
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....
, before turning south to reach the city of Whangarei
Whangarei
Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...
, the largest urban area in Northland.
SH 1 then skirts the southern shore of the Whangarei Harbour, meeting the coast briefly at Ruakaka, before turning inland and winding through the Brynderwyn Hills before approaching the upper reaches of the Kaipara Harbour
Kaipara Harbour
Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Rodney District...
. The highway crosses into the Auckland Region
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
, and passes through Wellsford
Wellsford
Wellsford is a town in the northern North Island of New Zealand. The town is the northernmost major settlement in the Auckland Region, and is 114 kilometres northwest of Auckland City.....
and Warkworth
Warkworth, New Zealand
Warkworth is a town in the upper North Island of New Zealand, within the Rodney District and lying at the far north of the Auckland Region but just south of the Northland Region...
, again heading for the east coast.
Near Puhoi
Puhoi
Puhoi is a settlement located approximately 50 km north of Auckland, New Zealand. Puhoi is probably a Maori word which may be translated as "Slow water"....
, on the Hibiscus Coast
Hibiscus Coast
The Hibiscus Coast is a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast located in New Zealand's Rodney District, 10 minutes north of the former North Shore City by car. It contains the northernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area....
, SH 1 becomes the Auckland Northern Motorway
Auckland Northern Motorway
The Auckland Northern Motorway is a major motorway in the Auckland Region of New Zealand, linking central Auckland City and Puhoi in the Rodney District, via the Hibiscus Coast and North Shore...
, the main road north of New Zealand's largest urban area. The first 7 km of the motorway is an automated toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
, with the toll being NZ$2 each way for cars. At Orewa
Orewa
Orewa, a town in New Zealand's North Island lies on the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and 40 kilometres north of central Auckland. Orewa's population was 7,326 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 1,692 from 2001. It is a popular holiday destination...
, the motorway becomes toll-free, crossing farmland to North Shore City, the northern of Auckland's four former cities. The road crosses through suburbs to the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
, which it briefly follows before crossing it by the Auckland Harbour Bridge
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. The bridge is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway...
, New Zealand's second-longest and most widely recognised road bridge. The motorway comes off the bridge into Auckland's city centre, and forms its western boundary as SH 1 proceeds to the Central Motorway Junction
Central Motorway Junction
The Central Motorway Junction or CMJ , is the intersection of New Zealand State Highways 1 and 16, just south of the central business district of Auckland, New Zealand...
.
At this junction (also known as Spaghetti Junction
Spaghetti Junction
"Spaghetti Junction" is a nickname sometimes given to a complicated or massively intertwined road traffic interchange that resembles a plate of spaghetti. The term is believed to have been coined by a journalist at the Birmingham Evening Mail in the 1970s to refer to the Gravelly Hill Interchange...
), SH 1 becomes the Auckland Southern Motorway
Auckland Southern Motorway
The Auckland Southern Motorway is the major route south out of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is part of State Highway 1....
, and, after sweeping around the southern end of central Auckland, proceeds in a south-easterly direction. The section from the Central Motorway Junction and the Newmarket Viaduct, 3 to the south, is the country's busiest section of road, with more than 200,000 vehicle movements a day between Khyber Pass Road and Gillies Ave. The motorway continues in a broadly southeast direction through southern Auckland city, through Manukau City and Papakura
Papakura
The Papakura District was the name of a local council territory in New Zealand's Auckland Region that existed from 1989 until 2010. The area made up the southernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area....
, to the top of the Bombay Hills, just short of the Auckland/Waikato boundary.
At Bombay, SH 1 becomes the Waikato Expressway
Waikato Expressway
The Waikato Expressway is a dual carriageway section of State Highway 1 in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and forms part of the link between Auckland and Hamilton...
, a four-lane dual-carriageway expressway. The expressway takes the highway down the Bombay Hills to Mercer, where SH 1 meets the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
which it follows for the next 130 km. The Waikato Expressway temporarily ends at Longswamp and becomes a three-laned dual carriageway, resuming at Rangiriri and continuing to its current terminus just south of Ohinewai. A $650 million project is underway to upgrade the existing Longswamp to Rangiriri section, and to extend the expressway from Ohinewai to south of Cambridge.
Returning to single carriageway, SH 1 runs through Huntly
Huntly, New Zealand
Huntly is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 1, 93 kilometres south of Auckland and 35 kilometres north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and straddles the Waikato River.Huntly was called Rahui Pokeka when...
and Ngaruawahia
Ngaruawahia
Ngāruawāhia is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers...
to Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, New Zealand's fourth-largest city. The highway bypasses the city centre to the west, before crossing to the east side and proceeding south-east out of the city. A small section of expressway exists south of Hamilton, part of the Waikato Expressway.
SH 1 continues through Cambridge
Cambridge, New Zealand
Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...
, and along the shore of Lake Karapiro
Lake Karapiro
Lake Karapiro is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. The lake, near Cambridge and some south-east of the city of Hamilton, was created in 1947 to store water for the Karapiro Power Station, the last of the eight hydroelectric power stations on the...
, the last of eight artificial lakes on the Waikato River. At Piarere, SH 1 leaves the actual Waikato River, but continues to follow in its general direction. The highway continues to the town of Tirau
Tirau
Tirau is a small town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton. The town has a population of 732 . Tirau is primarily a farming town but in recent years has begun to exploit the income that comes from being on a major road...
, where it turns south to pass through Putaruru
Putaruru
Putaruru is a small town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is on the Oraka River 65 kilometres south-east of Hamilton....
and Tokoroa
Tokoroa
Tokoroa is the third-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato district. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the Mamaku Ranges, it is mid-way between Taupo and Hamilton on State Highway One...
and the surrounding pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
forest area.
SH 1 meets the Waikato River again at Wairakei, where the highway follows its course into the tourist town of Taupo. The highway meets Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
, the Waikato's source and the largest lake in New Zealand. Leaving Taupo, SH 1 followes the eastern shore of the lake for 50 km to Turangi
Turangi
Turangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupo on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric power development project and their families...
, at the southern end of the lake.
Turning southwards again, SH 1 leaves Turangi and ascends onto the North Island Volcanic Plateau
North Island Volcanic Plateau
The North Island Volcanic Plateau is a volcanic plateau covering much of central North Island of New Zealand with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes....
, passing through the fringes of the Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites....
and into the Rangipo Desert
Rangipo Desert
Rangipo Desert is a barren desert-like environment in New Zealand, located in the Ruapehu District on the North Island Volcanic Plateau; to the east of the three active peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Ruapehu, and to the west of the Kaimanawa Range.The Rangipo Desert receives...
, passing the volcanoes of Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park...
, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro
Mount Tongariro
Mount Tongariro is a volcanic complex in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres to the southwest of Lake Taupo, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the central North Island....
. The road between Rangipo (10 km south of Turangi) and Waiouru is commonly known as the Desert Road, and is frequently closed by snow during winter. At km 794 on the Desert Road, SH 1 is 1074 metres (3,523.6 ft) above sea level - the highest point on the New Zealand State Highway network
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
. SH 1 enters the Manawatu-Wanganui Region
Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...
, and descends through an army training area to the end of the Desert Road at Waiouru
Waiouru
Waiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu, and in the Ruapehu District....
.
From Waiouru, the highway follows tributaries of the Rangitikei River
Rangitikei River
The Rangitikei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers, 185 kilometers long.Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupo in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Central Plateau south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and Bulls, to the South Taranaki Bight at Tangimoana, 40...
through Taihape
Taihape
Taihape is the Northern gateway town of the Rangitikei District, located near the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. It services a large rural community and lies on State Highway 1, which runs through the centre of the North Island.- Economy :...
to Mangaweka, where the highway meets the river. It then followes the western bank of the Rangitikei through Ohingaiti and Hunterville to Bulls
Bulls, New Zealand
Bulls is a small town near Palmerston North on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is in a thriving farming area in the Rangitikei District at the junction of State Highways 1 and 3 about 160 kilometres north of Wellington...
. At Bulls, SH 1 turns southeast to cross the river, turning southwest again 5 km down the road at Sanson
Sanson, New Zealand
Sanson is a small town in the Manawatu region of New Zealand. It is located just south of Bulls and the Rangitikei River, and west of the city of Palmerston North. The 2001 census revealed that Sanson's population was 495, a 4.6% decrease from the previous census in 1996...
. SH 1 crosses the Manawatu Plain, passing the city of Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
about 20 km west of it. It passes through Foxton
Foxton, New Zealand
Foxton is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand. The 2006 census population was 2715.It is located on the lower west coast of the North Island, in the Horowhenua district, 30 kilometres southwest of Palmerston North and 15 kilometres north of Levin. The town is located close to the...
, before reaching the end of the plain at Levin
Levin, New Zealand
Levin is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand, and is the largest town in the Horowhenua district. It is 90 kilometres north of Wellington, 50 kilometres south of Palmerston North, and two kilometres to the east of Lake Horowhenua....
.
From Levin, SH 1 follows the narrowing western coastal plain southwards, and crosses into the Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
15 km south of Levin. The road passes through Otaki
Otaki, New Zealand
Otaki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District of the North Island of New Zealand, situated half way between the capital city Wellington, 70 kilometres to the southwest, and Palmerston North, 70 kilometres to the northeast. It marks the northernmost point of the Wellington Region. The town's...
and Waikanae
Waikanae
Waikanae is a small town on New Zealand's Kapiti Coast. The name is a Māori word meaning "The waters of the yellow eyed mullet". Another settlement called Waikanae Beach exists near Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand....
to the main town of the Kapiti Coast
Kapiti Coast
The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
, Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies in the Kapiti Coast, 50 kilometres north of the nation's capital city, Wellington....
. The highway is dotted with a large number of satellite towns and villages, and combined with the narrowness of the road, difficult terrain, and the high traffic flow, the stretch of highway between Levin and Paraparaumu is an area of considerable congestion and a high number of accidents.
From Paraparaumu, the road is briefly a four-laned dual carriageway to Mackays Crossing, returning to a two-laned single carriageway and passing through Paekakariki
Paekakariki
Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city....
. Between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay, SH 1 and the North Island Main Trunk rail line travel along a narrow strip of land between the hills and the sea. The Centennial Highway, as it is known, is a narrow two-lane road that was highly accident prone until a centreline wire rope crash barrier was installed. Travelling through Pukerua Bay, the road becomes dual carriageway once more to Plimmerton, narrowing to single carriageway through the northern suburbs of Porirua to Paremata. This section between Mackays Crossing and Porirua is planned to be relieved by the billion-dollar inland Transmission Gully Motorway
Transmission Gully Motorway
The Transmission Gully Motorway is a 26 km motorway proposed for Wellington, New Zealand.-Route:It is planned to replace the current State Highway 1 along the coast road between the Kapiti Coast, Pukerua Bay and Porirua...
, due to be constructed within the next 20 years.
At Paremata, SH 1 resumes as dual carriageway along the edge of the Porirua Harbour to Porirua city centre. At Porirua, the highway becomes the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway
Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway
The Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway is a motorway in Wellington, New Zealand. It forms part of State Highway 1, the main route of traffic in and out of the city....
, and travels into the northern suburbs of Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand's capital city. The motorway ends at Johnsonville, and SH 1 descends through the Ngauranga Gorge
Ngauranga Gorge
The Ngauranga Gorge is in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. State Highway 1 runs through the gorge, a vital link between Wellington City and the Kapiti Coast and the main route north out of Wellington. It is 2 kilometres long and has a grade of approximately 8%...
to the Ngauranga Interchange
Ngauranga Interchange
The Ngauranga Interchange is a major interchange in the suburb of Ngauranga, in Wellington City, New Zealand. The Ngauranga interchange connects State Highways 1 and 2 with each other, and also allows traffic to connect to Hutt Road, for access to the interisland ferry terminals...
, on the shore of Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour is the large natural harbour at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. New Zealand's capital, Wellington, is on the western side of Wellington Harbour. The harbour was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current name in the 1980s.In Māori the harbour is...
. At the interchange, traffic leaves for the Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
ferries to Picton
Picton, New Zealand
Picton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is close to the head of Queen Charlotte Sound near the north-east corner of the South Island. The population was 2928 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 72 from 2001...
and the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Ferry services operate frequently to allow vehicular, passenger, and rail traffic to access the South Island. 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 them running at times of industrial action.
At Ngauranga, SH 1 becomes the Wellington Urban Motorway
Wellington Urban Motorway
The Wellington Urban Motorway, part of SH 1, is the major road into and out of Wellington, New Zealand. It is 7 km long, ranges from three to six lanes wide, and extends from the base of the Ngauranga Gorge into the Wellington CBD....
, skirting the shore of the harbour then passing the city centre to the west. The motorway ends at Te Aro
Te Aro
Te Aro is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, 1 km from the centre. It comprises the southern part of the central business district including the majority of the city's entertainment district and covers the mostly flat area of city between The Terrace and Cambridge Terrace at the base...
, where a one-way system takes traffic to the Basin Reserve
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand...
. Northbound traffic uses the recently-opened Wellington Inner City Bypass
Wellington Inner City Bypass
The Wellington Inner City Bypass is a westbound one-way road varying from two to four lanes largely at ground level in central Wellington, New Zealand, part of State Highway 1, and was opened in March 2007....
, while southbound traffic uses Vivian Street
Vivian Street
Vivian Street is a mostly one-way arterial road in central Wellington, New Zealand. It forms a part of the country's State Highway 1 network.It has traditionally had a reputation as a red-light district, particularly in its western half...
. From the Basin Reserve, SH 1 travels through the Mount Victoria Tunnel
Mount Victoria Tunnel
The Mount Victoria Tunnel in the New Zealand capital city of Wellington is 623 metres long and 5 metres in height, connecting Hataitai to the centre of Wellington and the suburb of Mount Victoria, under the mount of the same name...
to Wellington's eastern suburbs and Wellington International Airport
Wellington International Airport
Wellington International Airport is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is a secondary hub and focus city for Air New Zealand and its subsidiaries...
. SH 1 ends at a roundabout at the entrance to the airport.
South Island (SH 1S)
From the Picton ferry terminal, SH 1 is steep, crossing a saddle into the valley of the Tuamarina RiverTuamarina River
Tuamarina River is a river in Marlborough in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows into the Wairau River just south of Tuamarina.-Notes:...
. It descends alongside this river and across the Wairau Plain before reaching Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
. From Blenheim the road travels briefly through some of Marlborough's famous vineyards, then passes the lower slopes of the steep Kaikoura Ranges
Kaikoura Ranges
The Kaikoura Ranges are two parallel ranges of mountains in the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand.Formed along New Zealand's Marlborough Fault System, they can be seen as the northernmost extension of the Southern Alps in the South Island....
where the road has occasional glimpses of the sea to the east over Lake Grassmere
Lake Grassmere
Lake Grassmere is close to Cook Strait in the northeastern South Island of New Zealand.- Geography :Lake Grassmere, south of Blenheim and south of the mouth of the Awatere River, is a shallow lagoon protected from the open sea by a single barrier beach covered by sand dunes...
. This stretch is one of the most scenic, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and 2500 m peaks on the other. From the small town of Ward the highway heads to the coast and follows it to Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
. After passing Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
, it veers inland, twisting tortuously through the Hundalee Ranges before emerging at the northern end of the Canterbury Plains
Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains are an area in New Zealand centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki...
.
It passes through Amberley
Amberley, New Zealand
Amberley is a town located in the Hurunui District of north Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 approximately 50 km north of Christchurch...
before becoming the Christchurch Northern Motorway
Christchurch Northern Motorway
The Christchurch Northern Motorway is a major arterial road north of Christchurch, New Zealand, linking the northern Christchurch suburb of Belfast with the more densely populated areas of the Waimakariri District around Kaiapoi and Woodend, a distance of...
, bypassing Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, located close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and approximately 17 kilometres north of Christchurch....
. The motorway ends just north of Styx, and SH 1 bypasses Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
to the north-west through Harewood
Harewood, New Zealand
Harewood is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is north-west of the city centre. It had a population of 3,234 in the 2006 census, an increase of 477 since 2001.-Transport:SH1 passes through Harewood, and separates the land use...
and Yaldhurst. South of Christchurch, it becomes virtually straight as it crosses the wide fan of the Canterbury plains, crossing the country's longest road bridge at Rakaia
Rakaia
The town of Rakaia is seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the township are the country's longest road bridge and longest rail bridge, both of which cross the...
before reaching Ashburton
Ashburton, New Zealand
Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury Region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the...
, and then veering back towards the coast, which it reaches at Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
. Between Ashburton and Timaru it crosses Rangitata Island
Rangitata Island
Rangitata Island is a long lens-shaped island in the delta of the braided Rangitata River in Canterbury, New Zealand, approximately halfway between Timaru and Ashburton, New Zealand. The island is approximately 17 kilometres in length, and is about five kilometres wide at its widest point...
in the Rangitata River
Rangitata River
The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for 120 kilometres from the Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometres northeast of Timaru...
.
South of Timaru, the road again passes through gentle hill country, staying close to the coast but largely out of sight of it. The road veers inland briefly, bypassing Waimate
Waimate
WaimateUrban AreaPopulation:2,835 Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Waimate District CouncilPopulation:7,206 Land area:3,582.19 km² Mayor:John ColesWebsite:...
as it reaches the plains around the mouth of the Waitaki River
Waitaki River
The Waitaki River is a large river in the South Island of New Zealand, some 110 km long. It is the major river of the Mackenzie Basin.It is a braided river which flows through Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki. These are ultimately fed by three large glacial lakes, Pukaki, Tekapo,...
, which it crosses to enter Otago. It passes through Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
, from where it turns inland briefly, crossing undulating hill country before again reaching the coast at Moeraki
Moeraki
Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was once the location of a whaling station. In the 1870s, local interests believed it could become the main port for the north Otago area and a railway line, the Moeraki Branch, was built to the settlement...
. From here the road again hugs the coast along Katiki Beach, remaining closer to the ocean than at any point since Kaikoura. The highway turns inland at Shag Point, passing through Palmerston
Palmerston, New Zealand
The town of Palmerston, in New Zealand's South Island lies 50 kilometres to the north of the city of Dunedin. It is the largest town in the Waihemo Ward of the Waitaki District with a population of 890 residents...
and Waikouaiti
Waikouaiti
Waikouaiti is a small town in East Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. The town is close to the coast and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River....
.
South of Waikouaiti the road again becomes steep, rising sharply over the Kilmog hill before dropping down to the coast at Blueskin Bay
Blueskin Bay
Blueskin Bay is an estuary in coastal Otago, about 25 km north of Dunedin.The name also unofficially describes the rural district which includes the northern slopes of Mount Cargill, the southern slopes of the Kilmog, and the townships of Doctors Point, Waitati, Evansdale, Warrington, and...
, then rising again via Dunedin-Waitati Highway (a two- to four-lane single carriageway
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
which used to be designated a motorway) to the northern outskirts of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. From here it descends a steep, twisting stretch of Pine Hill Road through Pine Hill
Pine Hill, New Zealand
Pine Hill is a suburb, hill, and general area of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is sited on the hill of the same name, a spur of Mount Cargill overlooking North East Valley and Glenleith to the north of the city centre. This spur lies in the fork of the confluence of the Water of Leith and...
, before passing the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
and heading through the city centre. For much of its route through Dunedin the highway is split into two separate northbound and southbound roads, part of the city's one-way street system. These roads traverse the city 2-3 blocks southeast of the heart of the CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. At the southern end of central Dunedin, the highway again becomes a single road, the Caversham
Caversham, New Zealand
Caversham is one of the older suburbs of the South Island New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is sited at the western edge of the city's central plain at the mouth of the steep Caversham Valley, which rises to the saddle of Lookout Point...
By-pass, which rises along the Caversham Valley before again becoming a motorway at the saddle of Lookout Point.
The four-lane motorway (Dunedin Southern Motorway
Dunedin Southern Motorway
The Dunedin Southern Motorway is the main arterial route south from the South Island city of Dunedin, part of New Zealand's State Highway 1. It is one of the world's southernmost motorways.-Route:...
) runs through Dunedin's southern suburbs until the interchange with SH 87 at Mosgiel
Mosgiel
Mosgiel is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin City Council area, but was physically separate from the contiguous suburbs until...
. SH1 then heads southwest across the Taieri Plains
Taieri Plains
The Taieri Plains are an area of fertile agricultural land to the southwest of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. The plains cover an area of some 300 square kilometres, with a maximum extent of 30 kilometres....
. The area between the Taieri
Taieri River
The Taieri River is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is located in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw ranges, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea 30 km south of Dunedin.The upper reaches meander...
and Waipori River
Waipori River
The Waipori River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it flows southeast for 50 kilometres before joining the Taieri River near Henley, 30 km southwest of Dunedin of which it is officially the southernmost border.The upper reaches of the Waipori...
s is flood-prone, and the highway crosses this on a major embankment known colloquially as the flood-free highway. SH1 continues through gentle hill country and along the shore of Lake Waihola
Lake Waihola
Lake Waihola is a tidal freshwater lake located 15 km north of Milton in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. Its area is some 9 square kilometres, with a maximum length of 6 kilometres....
, then crosses the Tokomairiro Plains into Milton
Milton, New Zealand
Milton is a town of 2,000 people, located on State Highway 1, 50 kilometres to the south of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand. It lies on the floodplain of the Tokomairiro River, one branch of which loops past the north and south ends of the town...
. South of Milton is a major junction with SH 8
New Zealand State Highway 8
State Highway 8 is one of New Zealand's eight national highways. It forms an anticlockwise loop through the southern scenic regions of the Mackenzie Basin and Central Otago, starting and terminating in junctions with State Highway 1...
at Clarksville Junction. SH 1 continues to cross rolling hill country to reach Balclutha
Balclutha, New Zealand
Balclutha is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill on the Main South Line railway, State Highway 1 and the Southern Scenic Route...
.
From Balclutha, the highway turns west, veering briefly north as it heads inland to avoid the rough hills of The Catlins
The Catlins
The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions...
. It passes through the small town of Clinton, New Zealand
Clinton, New Zealand
Clinton is a small town in South Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 1 approximately half way between Balclutha and Gore , and the Main South Line railway passes through the town.Clinton was named for Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th...
before reaching the major provincial town of Gore
Gore, New Zealand
Gore is a town, surrounding borough, and district in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:The Gore District has a land area of 1,251.62 km² and a resident population of...
. Because of the names of these two towns, this stretch of the highway was christened "The Presidential Highway" during the time of the Clinton-Gore administration
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
in the United States. At Gore the highway crosses the Mataura River
Mataura River
The Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 190 kilometres in length.The river's headwaters are located in mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, where it turns southward...
; from here the road again turns south to roughly follow the river. The highway passes through Mataura before turning west at Edendale
Edendale, New Zealand
Edendale is a town in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. According to the 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, it has a population of 570 , representing a rise of 0.5% or 3 people since the 1996 census.State Highway 1 passes through Edendale as it runs between...
. Over its last stretch the road veers southwest before reaching the city of Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
. In central Invercargill it meets the southern end of SH 6
New Zealand State Highway 6
State Highway 6 is a major New Zealand State Highway. It extends from the northeastern corner of the South Island across the top of the island, then down the length of the island, initially along the West Coast and then across the Southern Alps through inland Otago and finally across the Southland...
and turns due south, skirting the estuary of the New River and Bluff Harbour. It passes through the small town of Bluff
Bluff, New Zealand
Bluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...
before reaching its terminus at Stirling Point, a kilometre south of Bluff. A commemorative signpost at Stirling Point indicates distances to major world centres and to the start of the highway at Picton.
Road conditions
SH 1 has varied road conditions. For most of its length it is a two-lane single carriageway road with at-grade intersections and access, sealed with chipseal in rural areas or asphalt in urban and high-traffic areas. The highway has frequent passing lanes on these sections, to allow traffic to pass other vehicles safely.Parts of the road are steep by international standards. Most steep sections having a combination of passing lanes (uphill), and crawler lanes or stopping bays (downhill) to allow heavy and slow vehicles to pull out of the way to let other vehicles pass.
NZTA announced in September 2010 that is was replacing the last three ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
s on SH 1S. The shingle fan fords are near Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
, and while generally being dry, on about 28 days a year state highway traffic has to detour around them due to high water levels on old single-lane bridges, leading to delays on a major freight route. With the detour bridges reaching the end of their lifespan, NZTA is replacing the fords with culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
s.
Route changes
Since Transit New ZealandTransit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand was, from 1989 to 2008, the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand State Highway network...
took control of State Highways in 1989, SH 1's route has changed in some places.
Construction of motorways has diverted the route in many places. A large section of SH 1N via Orewa, Dairy Flat and central Albany was bypassed between Silverdale and Albany in 1999 and 2009 by extensions of the Auckland Northern Motorway. The former route was re-designated SH 17. The extension of the Dunedin Southern Motorway
Dunedin Southern Motorway
The Dunedin Southern Motorway is the main arterial route south from the South Island city of Dunedin, part of New Zealand's State Highway 1. It is one of the world's southernmost motorways.-Route:...
has also seen changes in the highway, notably to bypass the town of Fairfield
Fairfield, Otago
The quiet suburb of Fairfield lies 10 kilometres to the west of Dunedin CBD, in Otago, southern New Zealand.Fairfield lies in rolling hill country between Abbotsford and the Taieri Plains, close to the slopes of Saddle Hill and Scroggs Hill...
.
In Hamilton, SH 1N originally ran through the city centre rather than via Frankton. The original route was via Te Rapa Road, Ulster Street, Victoria Street, Bridge Street and Cobham Drive, which is now Hamilton Urban Route 4. The current highway was diverted via Avalon Drive, Greenwood Street, Kahikatea Drive and Normandy Avenue. Continued improvements have meant SH 1N now bypasses a number of small towns in the northern Waikato.
In Porirua, north of Mana, in the 1990s an inland realignment was made and the road four-laned to just south of Pukerua Bay.
In Christchurch, SH 1S originally ran via the city centre rather than around the outskirts via Harewood. The original route was via Main North Road, Cranford Street, Sherborne Stree, Bealey Avenue, Madras and Gasson Streets (north)/Barbados and Waltham Strees (south), Broughham Street, the Chrischurch Southern Arterial Motorway, Curletts Road, Blenheim Road, and Main South Road. The section from the Queen Elizabeth II Drive to Broughham Street is now a local road, while the remainder of the route forms parts of SH 74, 73, and 73A.
Re-routing also occurred in Whangarei and Timaru, removing SH 1 from their city centres. The original route through Whangarei via Kamo Road, Bank Street, Water Street and Maunu Road was diverted via Western Hills Drive, while the original route through Timaru via Stafford and King Streets was diverted via Theodosia Street and Craigie Avenue.
In the southern South Island, several particularly twisting sections of SH 1S have been rebuilt to remove sharp bends and to generally improve road conditions. These include stretches at Normanby, near Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
; Waianakarua; at Tumai, near Palmerston
Palmerston, New Zealand
The town of Palmerston, in New Zealand's South Island lies 50 kilometres to the north of the city of Dunedin. It is the largest town in the Waihemo Ward of the Waitaki District with a population of 890 residents...
; and on the Dunedin Northern Motorway
Dunedin Northern Motorway
Dunedin-Waitati Highway , formerly called Dunedin Northern Motorway, is a two to four-lane limited-access road which provides the main route north from the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It was constructed in the 1950s to replace narrow, winding routes via Port Chalmers and Mount Cargill...
near Waitati
Waitati
Waitati is a small seaside settlement in Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. It is located close to the tidal mudflats of Blueskin Bay, 19 kilometres north of the Dunedin city centre...
. An extensive section between Allanton and the Taieri River
Taieri River
The Taieri River is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is located in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw ranges, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea 30 km south of Dunedin.The upper reaches meander...
was realigned during the 1970s.
Spur sections
SH 1N has one spur, SH 1B from SH 1N at Taupiri to SH 1N at Cambridge, providing a bypass of Hamilton.See also
- List of New Zealand State Highways
- List of roads and highways, for notable or famous roads worldwide