State Highway 38 (SH 38) is a road in 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 ...
of New Zealand that starts from near
Waiotapu
Waiotapu (Māori language, Māori for "sacred waters") is an active Geothermal (geology), geothermal area at the southern end of the Okataina Volcanic Centre, just north of the Reporoa caldera, in New Zealand's Taupo Volcanic Zone. It is 27 kilo ...
, and ends at
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 of ...
, where it connects to . It is the shortest connection from the central North Island (
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...
) to the East Coast (
Gisborne), but it is not often used as such. Large parts of the road are narrow and winding, and about of the road is unsealed. Travel on this highway takes roughly four hours.
Part of this unsealed section (between
Te Whaiti
Te Whaiti or Te Whāiti, formerly called Ahikereru, is a forested area in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is at the northern end of the Ahikereru valley – Minginui is at the southern end. T ...
and Aniwaniwa) is not designated a
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 ...
and instead holds the names Ruatahuna Road and Waikaremoana Road. The administration of this middle section of highway is split between
Whakatane District and
Wairoa District
Wairoa District is a Territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. The Wairoa District Council is headquartered in the largest town, Wairoa. The district falls within the Hawke's Bay Region.
The district has an area of 4, ...
Councils.
NZTA still maintains control over the road and, in 2017, was working on a business case for tar sealing.
Circa 1990, the length of SH 38 was 198 km from Wairoa to Waiotapu before the middle section designation was revoked. Due to its narrow and twisty nature, trucks are not permitted to tow heavy trailers on the unsealed section of the route.
Route
Starting at the intersection with SH 5, one drives through the
Kaingaroa Forest
Kaingaroa Forest covers 2900 km² of the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand, and is the largest forest plantation in New Zealand, and the second largest in the Southern Hemisphere (after the 6000km² Sabie/Graskop plantation in South Afri ...
and after 38 km the small town of
Murupara
Murupara is a town located in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The town is situated in an isolated part of the region between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera protected area, on the banks of the ...
is passed; at this point, the road temporarily loses its state highway status. At km 44, at Te Whaiti, a road branches to
Minginui
Minginui is a town in Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region on New Zealand's North Island.
The Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park is located near the town.
In 1978, there was confrontation between the local community and conservat ...
, leading into
Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park
Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park is a publicly accessible conservation park in the North Island of New Zealand. The park is centered on the town of Minginui and part of the eastern boundary flanks Te Urewera. The Whirinaki Forest is on ...
. The highway travels south-east for a further 20 km past the settlement of
Ruatāhuna
Ruatāhuna is a small town in the remote country of Te Urewera, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is 90 kilometres directly west of Gisborne, and 18 kilometres northwest of Lake Waikaremoana. By road, it is 50 kilometres south-ea ...
, and passes entirely through forested mountains. The next 74 km are unsealed
and climb through
Te Urewera
Te Urewera is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand, a large part of which is within a protected area designated in 2014, that was formerly Te Urewera National Park.
Te Urewera is t ...
, following small streams to reach the shores of
Lake Waikaremoana
Lake Waikaremoana is located in Te Urewera in the North Island of New Zealand, 60 kilometres northwest of Wairoa and 80 kilometres west-southwest of Gisborne. It covers an area of . From the Maori Waikaremoana translates as 'sea of rippling wat ...
. At km 134, at Aniwaniwa, is a visitor centre operated by the
Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
where several different walks start, including a short stroll to the
Aniwaniwa Falls. At the southern end of the lake, at Onepoto, is a motorcamp. Further south, along the
Waikaretaheke River, the three power stations of the Waikaremoana Power Scheme
[Waikaremoana Power Scheme]
of Genesis Energy can be seen.
From Aniwaniwa the road regains its state highway status and enters the valley of the
Waiau River, where the seal restarts. At km 185, at the village of
Frasertown
Frasertown is a small settlement in the northern Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's eastern North Island.
It is located inland from Wairoa at the junction of SH38, and the inland route (the Tiniroto Road; the former SH36) to Gisborne. Sta ...
, where the Waiau River joins the
Wairoa River, the
Tiniroto Road branches off to Gisborne (another 97 km). At km 195, at Wairoa, the road finally terminates on SH 2 at the intersection of Mahia Avenue and Bridge Street.
Opposition to sealing
In 2019, the New Zealand Government intended to seal 10 km of this road, having developed a
Provincial Growth Fund
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014.
Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...
to do so. However, the
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
Ngāi Tūhoe
Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning "steep" or "high noon". Tūhoe people also bear the sobriquet ...
opposed the proposal, saying that the project, which would extend into their territory, would damage the environment. Tūhoe were already concerned about environmental impacts to the region due to the rise in tourism. In response, the Minister for Regional Economic Development
Shane Jones
Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014.
Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gover ...
described Tūhoe as having "hillbilly thinking".
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 I ...
*
List of roads and highways
List of articles related to roads and highways around the world.
International/World
* Asian Highway Network
* Arab Mashreq International Road Network
* Alaska Highway
* International E-road network
* Pan-American Highway
* Trans-African Highwa ...
, for notable or famous roads worldwide
References
{{New Zealand State Highway navbox
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