State Highway 75 (SH 75) is 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 ...

in New Zealand servicing the

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest cit ...

region, connecting

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

on the northwestern part of the peninsula with

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standard ...

towards the east coast. It is wholly two lane (with the exception of some passing lanes near Hilltop), but partially functions as a major arterial corridor of Christchurch. Its highest point is at Hilltop, where it rises to about 555 m - just 8 m lower than the more mountainous

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 ...

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 ...

Route

The highway currently begins at the intersection of Curletts Road and

Christchurch Southern Motorway The Christchurch Southern Motorway is the main southern route into and out of Christchurch, New Zealand. The motorway forms part of (SH 1) and (SH 76) . The motorway, which heads in a generally south-west direction, is approximately 20 k ...

(the former SH 73, the latter

SH 76 Route 76 or Highway 76 may refer to: International * Asian Highway 76 * European route E76 Afghanistan * Kabul-Mazar Highway (A76) Australia * Gwydir Highway China * G76 Expressway Korea, South * National Route 76 Mexico * Mexican Fed ...

) which is now a

dogbone interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

. At Curletts Road, the road proceeds as a short expressway to the southeast until it reaches the intersection of Hoon Hay Road and Halswell Road. SH 75 turns right onto Halswell Road, and continues in a southwesterly direction until it just passes the settlement of

Halswell Originally a separate village, Halswell is now a residential suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located southwest of Cathedral Square on State Highway 75. History Halswell is named after Edmund Halswell QC (1790–1874), a government offi ...

. Now known as Tai Tapu Road, the road skirts the outer edges of Banks Peninsula while passing through arable farmland to reach the settlement of

Tai Tapu Tai Tapu, previously known as Taitapu, is a small town adjacent to the Halswell River and nestled in the Port Hills, located 6 km east of the town of Lincoln, New Zealand, Lincoln and 18 km south west of Christchurch in the Canterbury ...

. The road then changes name to Christchurch Akaroa Highway while continuing to skirt between

Lake Ellesmere Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is a broad, shallow coastal lake or waituna, in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is directly to the west of Banks Peninsula, separated from the Pacific Ocean by the long, narrow, sandy K ...

and the hills until

Birdling's Flat Birdlings Flat, originally named Te Mata Hapuku, is a settlement in Canterbury, New Zealand, at the eastern end of Kaitorete Spit and the southern end of Lake Forsyth, where the lake discharges to the sea. It is not far from eastern end of Lake ...

, where it turns sharply into the hills of Banks Peninsula while hugging the shore of

Lake Forsyth Lake Forsyth (known to Māori as Te Roto o Wairewa) is a lake on the south-western side of Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, near the eastern end of the much larger Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora. State Highway 75 to Akaro ...

. The road proceeds through Western Valley to

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

and Cooptown. After Cooptown, the road then begins to climb in a zigzag fashion towards Hilltop Saddle, which is frequently covered under snow during winter cold fronts. After Hilltop, the road descends in a similar fashion onto

Akaroa Harbour Akaroa Harbour, is part of Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The harbour enters from the southern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly northerly direction. It is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, ...

at Barry's Bay. The road then hugs the shoreline as it passes through

Duvauchelle Duvauchelle Bay ( mi, Kaitouna) is a small town situated at the head of Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula in New Zealand. State Highway 75 passes through the town. The Onawe Peninsula separates Duvauchelle bay from Barry's Bay. Duvauchelle i ...

and Takamatua before descending into

, terminating just before the Woodills Road/Rue Lavaud intersection.

Route changes

In the early 1990s when SH 1 used to travel through central Christchurch, via Moorhouse Avenue, SH 75 covered the entire length of Lincoln Road and terminated there. When SH 1 was re-routed to the west of Christchurch, SH 75 was altered to its current route, terminating with the Christchurch Arterial Motorway (now the Christchurch Southern Motorway). The motorway at the same time became the new route for SH 73. SH 75 used to travel down Rue Lavaud and Beach Road, terminating in the township of Akaroa. This has since been curtailed back. The former state highway section of Beach Road was redeveloped in the early 2000s.

References

External links

New Zealand Transport Agency

State Highway 75 on Google Maps
{{New Zealand State Highway navbox 75 Transport in Canterbury, New Zealand Akaroa

Route

Route changes

See also

References

External links