State Highway 5 (SH 5), one of New Zealand's eight
national highways
National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in England. It al ...
, runs from
State Highway 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbere ...
at
Tīrau
Tīrau is a small town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton. The town has a population of 804 (2018 census). In the Māori language, "Tīrau" means "place of many cabbage trees."
Tīrau ...
, in the
south Waikato
South Waikato District is a local government district in the Waikato Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located between the cities of Hamilton to the north, Rotorua to the east, Taupo to the south and Ruapehu District to the west.
...
, to
State Highway 2, close to the
Hawkes Bay
Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...
coast at
Bay View, 10 km north of
Napier. It is the second shortest of the national highways.
SH 5 is a two-lane single carriageway, except for a two-kilometre section of dual carriageway in
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 ...
, and has at-grade intersections and property accesses in both rural and urban areas. The
NZ Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (commonly known as Waka Kotahi, and abbreviated as NZTA) is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing, an ...
classifies SH 5 as a regional strategic highway, except for the section concurrent with SH 1 around
Taupō
Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wai ...
, where it is classified as a national strategic road.
Route
SH 5 leaves SH 1 at a roundabout just south-east of the town of
Tīrau
Tīrau is a small town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton. The town has a population of 804 (2018 census). In the Māori language, "Tīrau" means "place of many cabbage trees."
Tīrau ...
in the south Waikato and heads east, crossing over the
Mamaku Ranges
The Mamaku Ranges are a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. Located to the west of Lake Rotorua and north of Lake Taupō, they lie to the immediate south of the Kaimai Range and can be thought of as an extension of it, in much the s ...
to
Lake Rotorua
, image = Lake Rotorua.jpg
, caption = Lake Rotorua
, alt = Lake Rotorua
, image_bathymetry =
, pushpin_map=New Zealand#North Island
, pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Rotorua
, pushpin_relief=yes
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = R ...
. The highway skirts the southwestern edge of the lake, entering the city of
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 ...
and continuing south through the Rotorua-Taupō thermal area to the upper reaches of the
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...
. SH 5 joins SH 1 at
Wairakei
Wairakei is a small settlement, and geothermal area a few kilometres north of Taupō, in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand, on the Waikato River. It is part of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and features several natural geysers, hot pool ...
, a few kilometres north of the town of
Taupō
Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wai ...
, and runs concurrently with it on the East Taupo Arterial road, bypassing the town to the east.
SH 5 diverges from SH1 at a roundabout just east of Taupō and heads southeast on the
Napier-Taupō road. It runs just south of the prominent
Mount Tauhara then passes through the small settlement of
Opepe, which is at the intersection of two major pre-European walking tracks (Taupō-Napier and
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 ...
-
Tokaanu
Tokaanu is a small settlement close to Tūrangi at the southern end of Lake Taupō.
The Tokaanu Thermal Pools and the easy access to Lake Taupo make it a popular lakeside holiday destination. A short walking track through the Tokaanu thermal ar ...
). It then runs through the
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
plantations of 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 ...
, on the broad Kaingaroa plains that were formed from the ash from the great
Taupō eruption of 186 AD, passing
Iwitahi. Exiting the forest it crosses the headwaters of the
Rangitaiki River
The Rangitaiki River is the longest river in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand's North Island. It is long, and rises inland from northern Hawkes Bay to the east of the Kaingaroa Forest.
The Rangitaiki catchment covers an area of 3005&nb ...
.
Leaving the
Volcanic Plateau
A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity. There are two main types: lava plateaus and pyroclastic plateaus.
Lava plateau
Lava plateaus are formed by highly fluid basaltic lava during numerous successive eruptions throu ...
, it follows the
Waipunga River, the first section being the Runanga Deviation, which opened in 1972, replacing the last long stretch of narrow unsealed road. The highway then crosses the
Mohaka River
The Mohaka river is on the North Island of New Zealand in the east central region of Hawke’s Bay. Mohaka is a Maori word, roughly translated it means “place for dancing”. The iwi (Māori tribes) associated with the Mohaka River are Ngāti ...
, the site of one of New Zealand's major road tragedies in the 1990s, when a housebus plunged from the bridge. The Mohaka river is a popular spot for whitewater rafting and trout fishing.
The highway next ascends to cross the 708-metre Titiokura Saddle, the site of a proposed electricity generating
wind farm
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used Wind power, to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundre ...
, before passing through
Te Pohue, a former coaching stop for travellers heading inland from Napier. A few kilometres further on is an unsealed road leading to
Trellinoe Park, one of New Zealand's largest private gardens. From here, the road descends into the
Esk River valley, a fertile area with vineyards and orchards, as well as one of the country's few
lavender
''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...
farms, which is open to the public. SH 5 ends at the Napier–
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 ...
section of SH 2, close to the Hawkes Bay coast and the mouth of the Esk River, at the northern end of the
Bay View district, 10 km north of Napier.
Route changes
Prior to the
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Si ...
the final part of the route was over Hill Road between
Eskdale and
Bay View,
with the road from Taupō meeting the Wairoa road at Bay View, three kilometres south of the present junction. The earthquake raised the land and altered the course of the Esk River; the course of the highway was changed to follow suit.
SH 5 once ran through central Rotorua. The old route left the current route at the Lake Road traffic lights, and followed the route of Lake Road, Ranolf Street, Amohau Street, Fenton Street, and Hemo Road, where it re-merges with the current section. Today, it follows Old Taupo Road, which bypasses the central city to the west.
The Taupo Bypass (East Taupo Arterial) opened in 2010, shifting the concurrent SH 1 and SH 5 from the township and lakeside to the eastern outskirts of Taupō.
Major junctions
Distances are measured from north to south.
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
External links
New Zealand Transport Agency
{{New Zealand State Highway navbox
5