State Highway 12 (SH 12) is a New Zealand

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 the far north of the

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 connects with at both its northern and southern end. It runs close to the west coast of the

Northland Region The Northland Region ( mi, Te Tai Tokerau) is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population ...

of New Zealand.

Route

SH 12 starts in

Ōhaeawai Ōhaeawai is a small village at the junction of State Highway 1 and State Highway 12 in the Far North District of New Zealand, some from Auckland. The town of Kaikohe is to the west, and the Bay of Islands is a short drive to the east. The N ...

, running initially southwest to

Kaikohe Kaikohe is the seat of the Far North District of New Zealand, situated on State Highway 12 about 260 km from Auckland. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. With a population of over ...

, during which it shares a short section of road with . It then turns roughly westwards, reaching the

Hokianga The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ...

harbour at its

Omanaia River The Omanaia River is a river of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows northwest from the Waima Forest, first as a stream and then as a silty arm of the Hokianga Harbour. The township of Rawene stands at the point where the ...

arm. It continues west, reaching

Opononi Opononi is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through Opononi. Ōmāpere is on the shore to the south of Opononi and Pakanae to the northeast. The New Zealand Ministry for Cultur ...

and

Ōmāpere Ōmāpere is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through Ōmāpere. Opononi is on the shore to the north of Ōmāpere. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a ...

at the mouth of the harbour, before turning southeast to parallel the coast. The highway briefly follows the valley of the Waimamaku River before winding through the

Waipoua Kauri Forest Waipoua Forest is a forest, on the west coast of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. It is notable for having two of the largest living kauri tre ...

, then follows the valley of the

Kaihu River The Kaihu River is a river of the far north of New Zealand's North Island. It flows southeast from just south of Waipoua Forest Waipoua Forest is a forest, on the west coast of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It preserv ...

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangāre ...

. At Dargaville, the highway meets , and continues southeastwards along the edge of the Wairoa River to

Ruawai Ruawai is a small town located 30 km south of Dargaville in Northland, New Zealand. The name literally translated from Maori means 'two waters' referring to the nearby Northern Wairoa River and Kaipara Harbour. The township primarily serv ...

before turning eastwards. It briefly skirts the edge of the

Arapaoa River The Arapaoa River is a northeastern arm of the Kaipara Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Officially designated as a river, it is some long and an average of wide. See also *List of rivers of New Zealand This is a list of all waterways name ...

arm of the

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckl ...

before passing through

Paparoa Paparoa is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Paparoa Stream flows from the east, through the settlement, and into the Paparoa Creek to the south, which joins the Arapaoa River which is part of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 12 p ...

and

Maungaturoto Maungaturoto is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The township is located close to the Otamatea River, an estuarial arm of the Kaipara Harbour 25 kilometres north of Wellsford and 45 kilometres south of Whangārei. The New ...

and ending at its junction with SH 1 at

Brynderwyn Brynderwyn is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. It is located at the junction of SH1 and SH12 between Whangarei and Wellsford, and a narrowing of the North Auckland Peninsula between Bream Bay and the upper branches of the Kaipara Harbo ...

, south of Waipu.State Highway 12 on Google Maps
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References

External links

New Zealand Transport Agency
12 Transport in the Northland Region {{NewZealand-road-stub