State Highway 6 (SH 6) is a major New Zealand
state highway. It extends from the
Marlborough region
Marlborough District or the Marlborough Region (, or ''Tauihu''), commonly known simply as Marlborough, is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, located on the northeast of the South Island. Marlborough is a unitary authority, both a distric ...
in 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
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
through inland Otago and finally across the
Southland Plains
The Southland Plains is a general name given to several areas of low-lying land in the South Island of New Zealand, separated by the rise of the Hokonui Hills in the north. It forms a sizeable area of Southland region and encompasses its two pr ...
to the island's south coast. Distances are measured from north to south.
The highway is the longest single highway in the country, though it is shorter than the combined totals of the two highways that comprise , SHs 1N and 1S.
For most of its length SH6 is a two-lane single carriageway, except for 5.4 km of
dual carriageway in Invercargill, and
passing lanes in Invercargill and Nelson, with at-grade intersections and property accesses, both in rural and urban areas. Roundabouts are common in major towns, with traffic signals only found in Invercargill, Queenstown, Richmond, and Tāhunanui with signals also controlling Iron Bridge in the upper Buller Gorge, Fern Arch in the lower Buller Gorge near Westport, and the Albert Town Bridge over the
Clutha River
The Clutha River (, officially gazetted as Clutha River / ) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the P ...
near
Albert Town. NZTA classified the highway as an arterial route, except for two sections between Blenheim (SH 1) and Richmond (SH 60) and between Cromwell (SH 8B) and Five Rivers (SH 97) where SH 6 is classified as a regional strategic route.
Route
Marlborough
![Pelorus Bridge 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Pelorus_Bridge_001.JPG)
The highway leaves State Highway 1 at
Blenheim, initially travelling west through Woodboune to Renwick. At Renwick the highway turns north, crossing the
Wairau River
The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for from the Spenser Mountains (a northern range of the Southern Alps), firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley in ...
and following the Kaituna River valley to meet
Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere at
Havelock. From Havelock, the highway heads inland up the valley of the
Pelorus River
Te Hoiere / Pelorus River is a river at the northern end of South Island of New Zealand in the region of Marlborough. It flows from the Richmond Range into Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere. This area is fantastic for camping and is renowned for its m ...
. At
Pelorus Bridge the highway again turns north through
Rai Valley, and crosses into Nelson region at the Rai Saddle.
Nelson-Tasman
The highway then tends southwest as it crosses over the
Whangamoa Saddle approaching the coast of
Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere
Tasman Bay (; officially Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere), originally known in English as Blind Bay, is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches along ...
. The highway travels through the city of
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
and nearby town of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, continuing southwest across the plains of the
Wairoa
Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west o ...
and
Motueka River
The Motueka River is located in the north of the South Island of New Zealand and is a popular tourist destination for watersports and fishing. The Motueka flows from the mountains 40 km west of the city of Nelson in the southeast of the ca ...
s.
From these plains, the road ascends rapidly to the 634-metre
Hope Saddle. From here, the highway heads generally westward, along the valley of the
Buller River and its tributaries. Beyond
Murchison, this valley narrows to become the scenic
Buller Gorge
The Buller Gorge is a gorge located in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. The Buller River flows through the deep canyon between Murchison and Westport. Land Information New Zealand lists two sections for the gorge, Upper Buller ...
, and the highway twists its way high above the waters of the river.
West Coast
![SH6 near Kumara Junction](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/SH6_near_Kumara_Junction.jpg)
The highway leaves the river as its valley broadens, turning south six kilometres from
Westport, where the river reaches the sea. From here, the highway keeps close to the Tasman coast from
Charleston for over 100 kilometres, turning inland only briefly near
Runanga. This 100-kilometre stretch includes two of the coast's larger towns,
Greymouth
Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...
and
Hokitika
Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...
.
From Hokitika, the highway moves away from the coast, though still generally keeps within five kilometres of the sea. The highway continues south past
Ross and
Harihari, moving through state forests as it crosses several fast-moving rivers. Seventy kilometres south of Harihari, the highway skirts
Lake Mapourika
Lake Mapourika is located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It lies north of Franz Josef Glacier, and the out-flowing Ōkārito River drains it into the Ōkārito Lagoon. It is the largest of the West Coast lakes, a glacier form ...
and reaches the tourist settlement of
Franz Josef Glacier
The Franz Josef Glacier (; officially Franz Josef Glacier / ) is a temperate maritime glacier in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier to the south, and a third gl ...
. The glacier itself, one of two within easy walking distance of the highway, lies nearby in the
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
, which here come very close to the Tasman coast. The second glacier,
Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier (; officially Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe) is a temperate maritime glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Like nearby Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier is one of ...
is located some 20 kilometres further south. The highway again briefly touches the coast at
Bruce Bay before heading inland past
Lake Paringa
Lake Paringa is a small lake 50 kilometres north of Haast on the West Coast of New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () ...
, before reemerging on the Tasman coast at
Knights Point. The 30 km stretch of highway from here south to
Haast is noted for its rugged scenery.
After crossing the
Haast River
The Haast River / Awarua is a river on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for the river is Awarua. It drains the western watershed of the Haast Pass. The Haast River is in length, and enters the Tasman Sea n ...
, the highway turns eastward and inland up the river's valley, climbing past the
Gates of Haast
The Gates of Haast is a gorge on the Haast River in Mount Aspiring National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located inland by road from the township of Haast and from the summit of Haast Pass. The Gates of Haast has sheer ro ...
and crossing the 563-metre
Haast Pass
Haast Pass / Tioripatea is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. Māori used the pass in pre-European times.
The pass takes its name from Julius von Haast, a 19th-century explorer who also served as provincial ...
, the southernmost of the three main road passes across the Southern Alps.
Otago
From here, the highway again turns south, following the
Makarora River
The Makarora River is in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand.
Name
The Kai Tahu name for the river is Makarore.
( in the Kāi Tahu dialect) means stream. However the meaning of in this context is unknown.
Geography
The headwa ...
valley to the northern tip of
Lake Wanaka
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
. The highway skirts the eastern coast of the lake before crossing
The Neck, a saddle in the mountains that lie between Lakes Wanaka and
Hāwea. The highway continues along the western shore of Hāwea, then south along the
Cardrona River
The Cardrona River is in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the first tributaries of the Clutha River / Mata-Au, which it meets only from the latter's origin at the outflow of Lake Wānaka.
The Cardrona flows north for dow ...
to
Albert Town, close to the tourist centre of
Wanaka.
![NZSH6Remarkables](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/NZSH6Remarkables.jpg)
Ten kilometres from Wanaka, the highway is met by SH 8A, a spur of
SH 8 skirting the shore of
Lake Dunstan. SH 6 continues south along the western shore of the Lake, paralleling SH 8 which lies on the eastern shore. Close to
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
, a second spur, SH 8B, connects the two highways. From here, SH6 turns west, following the narrow and twisting
Kawarau Gorge
The Kawarau Gorge is a major river gorge created by the Kawarau River in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The towns of Queenstown and Cromwell are linked by through the gorge.
The gorge begins some 30 kilometres from Queen ...
, emerging close to the wine-producing area of
Gibbston
Gibbston is a community in the Wakatipu Basin in the Otago region of the South Island, New Zealand. Through the valley runs the Kawarau River which forms the Kawarau Gorge.
The most visible aspect of the area are the vineyards and wineries ne ...
.
At the western end of the Kawarau Gorge, midway between Cromwell and Queenstown, the highway passes the Nevis Bluff, a steep schist rock outcrop rising 100 m above the
Kawarau River
The Kawarau River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains Lake Wakatipu in northwestern Otago via the lake's Frankton Arm. The river flows generally eastwards for about and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it join ...
. The highway has a history of being disrupted and closed at this point due to instability and rock falls from the bluff. The first road around the bluff was constructed in 1866, opening access to the Wakatipu goldfields. Significant slips occurred at the bluff on 1940-02-20, and blocking SH6 in June 1975. On 17 September 2000, a large-scale rock fall buried the highway at the bluff, and several motorists narrowly avoided being killed. The fall was caught on video and showed a volume of 10,000 m³ for the main fall; the resulting dust cloud was seen 5 km away.
Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand (Māori: Ararau Aotearoa), which existed from 1989 to 2008, was the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand state highway network (10,894 km, about 12% of New Zealand's roads). It ...
conducted stabilisation drilling and blasting at the bluff twice in 2006 and again in 2007.
From the Nevis Bluff, the highway continues west, reaching
Frankton, close to the shore of
Lake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu ( mi, Whakatipu Waimāori) is an inland lake ( finger lake) in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland. ''Lake Wakatipu'' comes from the original Māori n ...
. The highway turns south to follow the southeastern shore of the lake, skirting the foot of
The Remarkables
The Remarkables ( mi, Kawarau) are a mountain range and skifield in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Located on the southeastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, the range lives up to its name by rising sharply to create a remarkable backdrop ...
and the
Hector Mountains. This stretch of the highway is in part tortuously winding, and rises and falls over a stretch known as "The Devil's Staircase".
Southland
The highway leaves the lake's shore at
Kingston, continuing south to
Garston, where, the highway briefly follows the course of the infant
Mataura River
The Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is long.
Description
The river's headwaters are located in the Eyre Mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, whe ...
before heading across the Jollies Hill Pass to the upper reaches of the
Ōreti River
The Ōreti River (formerly the Oreti River) is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is long. The river has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because, for much of its length, it supports bree ...
near
Lowther. The highway continues to follow the Ōreti south, through
Lumsden, then across the
Southland Plains
The Southland Plains is a general name given to several areas of low-lying land in the South Island of New Zealand, separated by the rise of the Hokonui Hills in the north. It forms a sizeable area of Southland region and encompasses its two pr ...
, past the town of
Winton before reaching its terminus at a junction with
SH 1 in central
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai 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. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...
.
Spur sections
SH6 has one spur, designated
![State Highway 6a NZ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/State_Highway_6a_NZ.svg)
State Highway 6A (also part of the
![Southern scenic route NZ marker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Southern_scenic_route_NZ_marker.jpg)
Southern Scenic Route
The Southern Scenic Route is a tourist highway in New Zealand linking Queenstown, Fiordland, Te Anau and the iconic Milford Road to Dunedin via, Riverton, Invercargill and The Catlins. An Australian travel magazine labelled it "one of the ...
). This 6.9 km highway links
Frankton with the tourist centre of
Queenstown.
Engineering features
*
Hawk's Crag is a single-lane half tunnel blasted out of a solid rock bluff in the Buller Gorge. It was constructed in 1869.
* The highway featured a number of combined road-rail bridges, but they have all now been replaced.
* The
Haast River
The Haast River / Awarua is a river on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for the river is Awarua. It drains the western watershed of the Haast Pass. The Haast River is in length, and enters the Tasman Sea n ...
bridge (km 750.0) is now the longest single-lane bridge in the country, with two passing bays.
* A two-lane bridge was built at
Kawarau Falls just south of Frankton. This superseded the one-lane bridge that was up until then the highway crossing. This opened in 2018.
Route changes
SH 6 in Nelson City previously went through
Stoke
Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom.
Stoke may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below.
Berkshire
* Stoke Row, Berkshire
Bristol
* Stoke Bishop
* Stok ...
between Annesbrook Drive and the Richmond Deviation via Main Road. In 2003, SH 6 shifted to the newly constructed Whakatu Drive, bypassing much of the residential areas.
Major junctions
{, class="wikitable"
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 ...
*
List of roads and highways
List of articles related to roads and highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is ...
, for notable or famous roads worldwide
*
Nelson - Blenheim notional railway
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
; between 1957 and 1979,for the purpose of subsidising passenger and freight rates, the Nelson – Blenheim section of SH6 was deemed by law to be a railway.
References
External links
New Zealand Transport Agency
{{New Zealand State Highway navbox
6
*