State Highway 51 (SH 51) is a
New Zealand state highway that runs between
Napier and
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
via
Clive. Known locally as the ''Coastal Route'', it was the main route between the two cities prior to the completion of the
Hawke's Bay Expressway
The Hawke's Bay Expressway, known also as the Napier-Hastings Expressway, runs from Hawke's Bay Airport, through Napier and Hastings, and ends at Pakipaki, just south of Hastings, a total length of 24 km. It is part of State Highway 2 (S ...
.
History
The route that SH 51 follows is part of the original route between
Napier and
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
, and prior to 1 August 2019 formed part of .
Between the late 1960s and 2011, the nearby
Hawke's Bay Expressway
The Hawke's Bay Expressway, known also as the Napier-Hastings Expressway, runs from Hawke's Bay Airport, through Napier and Hastings, and ends at Pakipaki, just south of Hastings, a total length of 24 km. It is part of State Highway 2 (S ...
was constructed, providing a high-speed bypass of Napier and Hastings. As the expressway was constructed in seven sections over 43 years, it had three separate state highway numbers (
SH 2B, and
SH 50A), despite the expressway being a single length of road and being considered the spine of the Hawke's Bay roading network.
This resulted in a confusing driving experience for motorists, made even more so when of SH 2 between the northern outskirts of Hastings and the southern terminus of the expressway at Pakipaki was revoked in 2005.
In 2019, an opportunity to renumber the Hawke's Bay state highways arose through the exchange of Meeanee Quay and Pandora Road in Napier (part of SH 2) becoming a local road under the authority of the
Napier City Council, and nearby Prebensen Drive becoming a state highway under the authority of the
New Zealand Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi, or the New Zealand Transport Agency, (always abbreviated as NZTA), superseded by is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licens ...
.
On 1 August 2019, the renumbering took effect:
* The entire Hawke's Bay Expressway became SH 2. SH 2B and SH 50A were revoked, while SH 50 continued to run over a section of the expressway, and was co-signed with SH 2 over this section.
* The former SH 2 between Napier and Hastings became SH 51, remaining a state highway alternative to the Hawke's Bay Expressway.
* Taradale Road, Hyderabad Road and Georges Drive, previously part of SH 50, also became part of SH 51, with SH 50 being shifted to run via Prebensen Drive.
The creation of SH 51 affected approximately 120 people and businesses with an address change along two sections of the route where the name of the road was the state highway number. Their addresses were automatically changed from State Highway 2 to State Highway 51 by
New Zealand Post
NZ Post ( mi, Tukurau Aotearoa), shortened from New Zealand Post, is a state-owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Post Office, a government agency, provided postal, banking, and telecommuni ...
.
Route
SH 51 leaves the Hawke's Bay Expressway at a roundabout west of Napier. It initially heads to the north-east on Taradale Road, before following Hyderabad Road for a short distance. It then runs to the south of the Napier city centre along Georges Drive.
SH 51 then meets the Hawke's Bay coast and turns south on Marine Parade. The route then leaves Napier and follows the coast before heading inland at the
Ngaruroro River
The Ngaruroro River is located in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It runs for a total of 164 kilometres southeast from the Kaweka Range, Kaimanawa Range and Ruahine Range and then east before emptying into Hawke Bay roughly halfway bet ...
estuary. It runs through the small town of
Clive and passes to the east of
Whakatu before turning towards Hastings at a roundabout at Mangateretere.
Approaching Hastings from the north-east, the SH 51 designation ends in the outskirts of Hastings at the Kenilworth Road intersection. The route continues into central Hastings as Karamu Road North.
Major intersections
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 ...
References
External links
New Zealand Transport Agency
{{New Zealand State Highway navbox
50
Transport in the Hawke's Bay Region