State Highway 32 (SH 32) is a
New Zealand state highway in the Central
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
. It forms part of a western traverse of
Lake Taupō
Lake Taupō (also spelled Taupo; mi, Taupō-nui-a-Tia or ) is a large crater lake in New Zealand's North Island, located in the caldera of the Taupō Volcano. The lake is the namesake of the town of Taupō, which sits on a bay in the lake's nor ...
and a less busy alternative to , avoiding
Taupō
Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wai ...
.
State Highway 32 on Google Maps
/ref>
Route description
The route begins at SH 1 in Tokoroa
Tokoroa ( mi, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere) is the fifth-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 M ...
and travels west along Maraetai Road, leaving Tokoroa where the road angles in a more southerly direction through the Kinleith Forest. It eventually meets at a three way junction. From here both SH 32 and SH 30 share a short concurrency of , crossing the Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...
over the Whakamaru Dam. Shortly after reaching the locality of Whakamaru
Whakamaru is a town in the central region of the North Island of New Zealand. The Maori words 'whaka' and 'maru' literally mean to give shelter to, or safeguard.
History
The Whakamaru supervolcano eruption (dated to 320–340,000 years ago) ...
, SH 32 leaves the concurrency and continues south. The highway continues for the remaining until it reaches Kuratau
Kuratau is a small village north of Pukawa, on the western side of New Zealand's Lake Taupō.
The Kuratau Power Station was built on the Kuratau River near the town and completed in 1962.
The local Poukura Marae and Parekawa meeting house ...
Junction and terminates with . From there, motorists can continue eastbound to reach SH 1 and complete the alternative north–south route.
Major intersections
History
SH 32, when first established, consisted of only the section between SH 30 and SH 41. In 1995, the highway was extended to Tokoroa. For many years it was the longest highway not to have a major junction with any of the single digit state highways.
See also
* List of New Zealand state highways
This is a list of highways of the New Zealand state highway network and some touring routes. State highways are administered by the NZ Transport Agency, while all other roads are the responsibility of territorial authorities.
Current
North I ...
References
External links
New Zealand Transport Agency
32
Transport in Waikato
{{NewZealand-road-stub