State Highway 83 (SH 83) is a
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in New Zealand running up the
Waitaki Valley
The Waitaki River is a large braided river that drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs some south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It starts at the confluence of the ...
between the settlements of
Pukeuri
Pukeuri is a settlement to the north of Oamaru in the North Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near the coast in the Waitaki District that straddles the border of Otago and Canterbury.
The settlement's major employer i ...
and
Omarama
Omarama is a small town (population 291 at 2018 census) at the junction of State Highways 8 and 83, near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Zealand. Omarama is in the Waitaki District, in the southern Canterb ...
. It forms part of the southernmost of the east–west roads crossing the South Island (via
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 ...
).
Route
Since designation, this is the route SH 83 takes.
As ''Chain Hills Highway,'' it begins in
Omarama
Omarama is a small town (population 291 at 2018 census) at the junction of State Highways 8 and 83, near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Zealand. Omarama is in the Waitaki District, in the southern Canterb ...
and passes through most of the settlement in an easterly direction. Leaving Omarama, the road changes name to ''Omarama Otematata Road.'' The road then runs along the banks of the
Ahuriri
Ahuriri is a suburb of the city of Napier, in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's eastern North Island.NOTE: the term Ahuriri is also used as an alternative Māori language name for the city of Napier overall.
The area was a major site of ...
Arm of
Lake Benmore
Lake Benmore is New Zealand's largest artificial lake. Located in the South Island of New Zealand and part of the Waitaki River, it was created in the 1960s by construction of Benmore Dam.
Characteristics
The lake has an area of about 75 ...
and descends into the township of
Otematata
Otematata is a town in the Waitaki District of Otago in New Zealand's South Island. It is defined as a "populated area less than a town" and the 2001 New Zealand census gave the "usually resident population count" as 243. By the 2018 census it ...
(turnoff for the
Benmore Dam). After Otematata, the road then passes along the southern banks of Lakes
Aviemore
Aviemore (; gd, An Aghaidh Mhòr ) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is po ...
and
Waitaki as well as their respective dams.
The road emerges on the upper Waitaki River floodplain and enters the township of
Kurow
Kurow is a small town in the Waitaki District, New Zealand. It is located on the south bank of the Waitaki River, northwest of Oamaru.
Description
The name is an Anglicised form of the Māori name of the nearby mountain, Te Kohurau.
In the ...
. Beyond Kurow, the road is all but flat and runs along the southern flanks of the floodplains as well as through
Duntroon and
Georgetown before crossing a low saddle to descend into
Pukeuri
Pukeuri is a settlement to the north of Oamaru in the North Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near the coast in the Waitaki District that straddles the border of Otago and Canterbury.
The settlement's major employer i ...
.
Images
File:Duntroon Main Street.JPG, SH 83 through Duntroon
File:Kurow Bledisloe Street 002.JPG, SH 83 through Kurow (facing the coast)
File:Kurow Bledisloe Street 001.JPG, SH 83 through Kurow (facing the alps)
File:Waitaki Dam State Highway 83.JPG, SH 83 passing the Waitaki Dam
File:Otematata Main Street.JPG, SH 83 passing through Otematata
File:Omarama State Highway 83.JPG, SH 83 near its terminus in Omarama
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
83
Transport in Otago
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