New Zealand State Highway 1

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State Highway 1
Length	2047 km 1272 mi
Primary direction	North-South
Start	Cape Reinga
Primary destinations	Whangarei North Shore Auckland Manukau Hamilton Taupo Porirua Wellington Picton Blenheim Christchurch Ashburton Timaru Oamaru Dunedin Invercargill
End	Bluff
Route quality	89% single carriageway 5% dual carriageway 6% motorway
Tourist routes	Twin Coast Discovery Highway Awanui to Kaitaia Kawakawa to Waipu Brynderwyn to Auckland Thermal Explorer Highway Auckland to Tirau Wairakei to Taupo Classic New Zealand Wine Trail Picton to Blenheim Alpine Pacific Triangle Kaikoura to Waipara Southern Scenic Route Waihola to Balclutha Invercargill

State Highway 1 is the most significant road in the New Zealand roading network. It runs the length of both main islands, and officially has two designations: SH 1N in the North Island and SH 1S in the South Island, but both sections appear on road signs and road atlases as SH 1. It is 2047 km long, 1106 km in the North Island and 941 km in the South Island, and thus the longest State Highway in New Zealand. Distances are measured from north to south in each island.

For most of its length, SH 1 is a two-lane single carriageway, with at-grade intersections and property accesses, both in rural and urban areas. These sections have frequent passing lanes. There are sections of motorway in the vicinity of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Route

This is the route that SH 1 took in 2007.

North Island (SH 1N)

In the North Island, State Highway 1 starts at Cape Reinga, at the northern tip of the Aupouri Peninsula. The first 20 kilometres (12 mi) of the highway to Waitiki Landing is an unsealed gravel road, which is currently being addressed. From Waitiki Landing, SH 1 travels down the central-eastern side of the peninsula to the town of 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.

State Highway 1 then skirts the southern shore of the Whangarei Harbour, meeting the coast briefly at Ruakaka, before turning inland and crossing to the upper reaches of the Kaipara Harbour. The highway crosses into the Auckland Region, and passes through the towns of Wellsford and Warkworth, again heading for the east coast.

At Puhoi, on the Hibiscus Coast, State Highway 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$2.00 each way for cars^[1]. At Orewa, the motorway becomes toll-free, crossing farmland to North Shore City, the northern of Auckland's four cities. The road crosses through suburbs to the Waitemata Harbour, which it briefly follows before crossing it over 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 the western boundary of it as State Highway 1 proceeds to the Central Motorway Junction.

At the Central Motorway Junction (also known as Spaghetti Junction), State Highway 1 becomes the Auckland Southern Motorway, and after sweeping around the southern end of central Auckland, proceeds in a south-easterly direction. The following 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^[2]. 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 border.

At Bombay, State Highway 1 becomes the Waikato Expressway, a four-lane dual-carriageway expressway. The expressway takes the highway down the Bombay Hills to Mercer, where State Highway 1 meet the Waikato River, of which it follows the course of 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.

State Highway 1, returning to single carriageway, runs through the towns of Huntly and Ngaruawahia to the city of Hamilton, New Zealand's fourth largest. 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, State Highway 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 the towns of Putaruru and Tokoroa, and the surrounding pine forest area.

State Highway 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, State Highway 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, State Highway 1 is 1,074 metres (3,520 ft) above sea level - the highest point on the New Zealand State Highway network.^[3]. State Highway 1 transitions into 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 actual river itself. It then followes the western bank of the Rangitikei through Ohangaiti and Hunterville to Bulls. At Bulls, State Highway 1 turns southeast to cross the river, turning southwest again 5 km down the road at Sanson. State Highway 1 crosses the Manawatu Plain, passing the city of Palmerston North about 20 km west of it. It passes through the town of Foxton, before reaching the end of the plain at the town of Levin.

From Levin, State Highway 1 follows the narrowing western coastal plain southwards, and crosses into the Wellington Region 15 km south of Levin. The road passes through the towns of 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 Mackay's Crossing, returning back to a two-laned single carriageway and passing through Paekakariki. Between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay, State Highway 1 along with the North Island Main Trunk rail line travels 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 is highly accident-prone. 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 Mackay's 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, State Highway 1 resumes being dual carriageway and along the edge of the Porirua Harbour to the Porirua city centre. At Porirua, the highway becomnes the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway, and travels from Porirua into the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand's capital city. The motorway ends at Johnsonville, and State Highway 1 descends through the Ngauranga Gorge to the Ngauranga Interchange, on the shore of the 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, State Highway 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 thrrough Te Aro to the Basin Reserve. Northbound traffic uses the recently-opened Wellington Inner City Bypass, while southbound traffic uses Vivian Street. From the Basin Reserve, State Highway 1 travels through the Mount Victoria Tunnel to Wellington's eastern suburbs, passing through them to reach Wellington International Airport. State Highway 1 ends at a roundabout at the entrance to the airport.

State Highway 1 near Cape Reinga. The road here is currently being sealed.	State Highway 1 as the Auckland Northern Motorway, looking north from Forrest Hill, North Shore.	State Highway 1 crossing the Auckland Harbour Bridge.	State Highway 1 through the Central Motorway Junction ("Spaghetti Junction").
State Highway 1, as the Southern Motorway, in northern Manukau City.	State Highway 1 bridge http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Zealand_State_Highway_1&action=editacross the Waikato River bridge in Taupo. The bridge is fitted with control gates to regulate water flow down the Waikato River.	Travelling north on State Highway 1 through the Rangipo Desert. This section is known as the Desert Road, and if frequently closed by snow in winter.	State Highway 1 as the Wellington Urban Motorway, running beside the Wellington Harbour.

South Island (SH 1S)

In Dunedin, the highway becomes two multi-lane one-way streets. Here, traffic moves south along SH 1 via Cumberland Street, a kilometre south of the city centre.

From the Picton ferry terminal, SH 1 is steep, crossing a saddle into the valley of the Tuamarina River. It descends alongside this river and across the Wairau Plain before reaching Blenheim. From here it largely hugs the coast, passing the foot of the steep Kaikoura Ranges. This stretch is one of the most scenic, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and 2500 m peaks on the other. 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.

From Timaru it follows the coast, crossing the Waitaki River and reaching Oamaru before crossing the undulating hill country of north Otago. South of Waikouaiti it again becomes steep, rising sharply over the Kilmog hill before dropping down to the coast, then rising again and becoming motorway (2/3-lane single carriageway) to the northern outskirts of Dunedin, where it descends steeply, past the University of Otago and through the city centre. For much of its route through Dunedin, the highway is split into two separate roads, a northbound road and a southbound road, which are part of the city's one-way street system. A four-lane motorway runs through Dunedin's southern suburbs until the junction with SH 87 at Mosgiel. SH1 then heads southwest to Balclutha before turning west to avoid the rough hills of The Catlins, turning south again at Gore. From Gore it runs south and then southwest to Invercargill, thence to Stirling Point, a kilometre south of Bluff.

Road conditions

State Highway 1 varies between different road conditions. For most of its length, State Highway 1 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. The northern section of the Desert road has crawler lanes, to allow heavy and slow vehicles to pull out of the way, especially on the 1.66% (1 in 60) average grade on that section.

Route changes

Since Transit New Zealand took control of State Highways in 1989, SH 1's route has changed in some places.

In Whangarei, Hamilton, Christchurch and Timaru, it ran through the city centres. It has been diverted to the suburbs, and the original routes have returned to being local roads. The extension of the Dunedin Southern Motorway has also seen changes in the highway, notably to bypass the town of Fairfield.

In the southern South Island, several particularly twisting sections of SH 1 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 previously realigned during the 1970s.

Spur sections

SH 1 has one spur in the North Island: SH 1B. SH 1B runs from SH 1 at Taupiri to SH 1 at Cambridge, providing a bypass of Hamilton.

Major Junctions

See also

• List of New Zealand State Highways
• List of roads and highways, for notable or famous roads worldwide

References

v • d • e New Zealand State Highways New Zealand State Highway network  · List of New Zealand State Highways National SH 1 (incl. SH 1A, SH 1B)  · SH 2 (incl. SH 2A, SH 2B)  · SH 3 (incl. SH 3A)  · SH 4  · SH 5  · SH 6 (incl. SH 6A)  · SH 7 (incl. SH 7A)  · SH 8 (incl. SH 8A, SH 8B) North Island SH 10  · SH 11  · SH 12  · SH 14  · SH 15A  · SH 16  · SH 17  · SH 18  · SH 20  · SH 21  · SH 22  · SH 23  · SH 24  · SH 25 (incl. SH 25A)  · SH 26  · SH 27  · SH 28  · SH 29  · SH 30 (incl. SH 30A)  · SH 31  · SH 32  · SH 33  · SH 34  · SH 35  · SH 36  · SH 37  · SH 38  · SH 39  · SH 41  · SH 43  · SH 44  · SH 45  · SH 46  · SH 47  · SH 48  · SH 49  · SH 50 (incl. SH 50A)  · SH 53  · SH 54  · SH 56  · SH 57  · SH 58 South Island SH 60  · SH 62  · SH 63  · SH 65  · SH 67 (incl. SH 67A)  · SH 69  · SH 71  · SH 73 (incl. SH 73A)  · SH 74 (incl. SH 74A)  · SH 75  · SH 77  · SH 78  · SH 79  · SH 80  · SH 82  · SH 83  · SH 84  · SH 85  · SH 86  · SH 87  · SH 88  · SH 90  · SH 93  · SH 94  · SH 95  · SH 96  · SH 97  · SH 98  · SH 99 Touring Routes Twin Coast Discovery Highway  · Thermal Explorer Highway  · Pacific Coast Highway  · Classic New Zealand Wine Trail  · Alpine Pacific Triangle  · Foothills Scenic Route  · Southern Scenic Route