New Zealand State Highway 2

State Highway 2
Route information
Maintained by New Zealand Transport Agency
Length: 968 km (601 mi)
Tourist
routes:		 Pacific Coast Highway
Classic New Zealand Wine Trail
Major junctions
North end: SH 1 Waikato Expressway near Pokeno
 

SH 5 near Bay View

SH 3 in Woodville
South end: SH 1 Wellington Urban Motorway at Ngauranga Interchange
Location
Primary
destinations:		 Paeroa, Waihi, Tauranga, Te Puke, Whakatane, Opotiki, Gisborne, Wairoa, Napier, Hastings, Waipukurau, Dannevirke, Masterton, Carterton, Featherston, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt
Highway system
← SH 1SH 3 →

State Highway 2 (SH 2) runs north–south through eastern parts of the North Island of New Zealand from the outskirts of Auckland to Wellington. It runs via Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Napier and Hastings in Hawkes Bay. It is the second-longest highway in the North Island, after State Highway 1, which runs the length of both of the country's main islands.

For most of its length it consists of a two-lane single carriageway, with frequent passing lanes. There are sections of expressway (four lane dual carriageway) at Maramarua, Tauranga and Wellington.

Route

Looking north on SH 2 (High Street South) in Carterton, 80 km (50 mi) from its terminus near Wellington.

The route that SH 2 took in 2008 is as follows.

SH 2 leaves SH 1 just north of Pokeno, 49 km south of central Auckland. It heads east, crossing the Hauraki Plains before running the length of the Karangahake Gorge, a break in the hills between the Coromandel Peninsula and Kaimai Ranges. From the mining town of Waihi it runs southeast, skirting the edge of Tauranga Harbour, which it crosses on the Tauranga Harbour Bridge before connecting to the 23 km Tauranga Eastern Link, a four lane toll motorway only recently completed. After reaching Paengaroa Junction with SH 33, SH 2 reverts to highway status and follows the coast for a further 34 km, until it reaches the village of Matata.

From Matata it heads slightly inland, crossing the Rangitaiki plain to the south of Whakatane, loops south to Taneatua, through the Waimana gorge and then back north to the coast near Opotiki. After Opotiki it turns inland, ascending southeast along the valley of the Waioeka River, then winding up to the 725-metre Traffords Hill summit. From here it descends into the watershed of the Waipaoa River following the river valley from Te Karaka to Makaraka, just outside Gisborne, to which it is connected by a short stretch of SH 35.

It then turns south, passing the Wharerata Forest and the isthmus of the Mahia Peninsula, turning west to follow the coast of Hawke Bay. Close to the mouth of the Waihua River it heads briefly inland, passing the Mohaka Forest and Lake Tutira before rejoining the coast not far from the junction with SH 5 at Bay View. It continues south through Napier and turning inland to enter Hastings. From central Hastings it loses its national highway status for seven kilometres as it is cut in two by the Hastings City streets, regaining that status at Pakipaki.

It continues to head inland from Pakipaki, initially southwest to Waipukurau, then briefly west to follow tributaries of the Tukituki River upstream. Close to Norsewood it turns southwest, a direction it maintains for much of the remainder of its journey, crossing undulating country that forms the upper catchment of the Manawatu River. In Woodville, it meets SH 3, which links SH 2 with Palmerston North via the Manawatu Gorge. SH 2 continues south into the Wairarapa, travelling through Eketahuna to Masterton.

The last 100 kilometres takes it through the small Wairarapa towns of Carterton, Greytown, and Featherston, and then via a winding and steep section over the Rimutaka Range (summit 555 metres) into the Hutt Valley. It travels along the edge of Upper Hutt to a junction with SH 58 at Haywards, then past Lower Hutt and Petone before skirting the upper part of Wellington Harbour and terminating at the junction with SH 1 at the Ngauranga Interchange, five kilometres away from central Wellington.

Although the Ngauranga Interchange is the official end of SH 2, it is signed northbound as far back as the Mount Victoria Tunnel, 8 km before it begins.

Spur sections

SH 2 has one short spur: SH 2B. SH 2B runs for 4.1 km from SH 2 at Napier Airport to SH 50 at Taradale. This forms the northern part of the Hawkes Bay Expressway.

SH 2 used to have an additional spur, SH 2A which ran for 3.8 km from SH 2 through Tauranga, along 15th Avenue and Turret Road, to the junction with SH 29 (now SH 29A) at Maungatapu. This route was once the original route for SH 2 before it was shifted to the newly duplicated Tauranga Harbour Bridge. In August 2015, this state highway lost its full state highway status in conjunction with Takitimu Drive (Route K) Toll Road becoming part of the state highway network.

History

The section of SH 2 through Mangatawhiri had a poor crash record, and the seven-kilometre Mangatawhiri Deviation was opened in December 2008 to improve safety by bypassing it. Passing lanes in both directions provide safe passing opportunities. Grade-separated intersections improve safety for traffic wanting to cross or join the highway.

SH 2 used to follow former SH 2A's route in Tauranga, along 15th Ave, into Turret Road, and across the harbour to Maungatapu, where it joined SH 29, and then headed across the Maungatapu Bridge to Te Maunga. This was changed in 2009 when a second harbour bridge opened next to the current one, providing four lanes of traffic and an overpass from the harbour bridges to the Takitimu Drive expressway. SH 2A became the old section until it was revoked in 2015.

Before August 3, 2015, SH 2 used to travel via Te Puke. The Tauranga Eastern Link, a tolled motorway almost 23 km from Te Maunga Junction to Paengaroa officially opened on July 30, 2015. SH 2 now follows the Tauranga Eastern Link. The new four lane highway was constructed as part of the National government's Roads of National Significance, improving access from the east (Te Puke, Whakatane, Opotiki, Gisborne) and south from Rotorua and Taupo. It is the main route for trucks heading to the Port of Tauranga from Rotorua and the eastern Bay of Plenty, and connects the economically-important central plateau forestry industry with the port for export. This NZTA administered road is tolled at $2.00 for cars and motorcycles and $5.00 for trucks.[1]

SH 2 used to extend into Whakatane, but recently this section was moved inland to pass through Edgecumbe and Awakeri, with SH 30 extended to Whakatane to cover the former route.

SH 2 used to run between Hastings and Pakipaki, but recently has been revoked.

The Rimutaka Hill Road, transversing the Rimutaka Ranges between Featherston and Upper Hutt, has a poor crash record, with many tight 25 and 35 km/h corners, and a lack of safety barriers to prevent vehicles dropping down off the road. The original winding route between Kaitoke and Te Marua was significantly realigned between 2002 and 2006. The tightest and narrowest corner on the road, named Muldoon's Corner after the former Prime Minister's financial stance ("tight and to the right"), is being bypassed with a new wider 55 km/h corner.[2]

River Road, between Maoribank and Silverstream in Upper Hutt, was opened in 1987 to bypass central Upper Hutt. The new route was a two-laned single-carriageway 100 km/h road on the Hutt River's banks, crossing the river at Moonshine, and replaced the 50 km/h route via Fergusson Drive. Most of the road of the road has been widened to three lanes, and median barriers have been installed, with only the Moonshine Bridge and north of Totara Park Drive still having two lanes undivided (Gibbons Street to Totara Park is three lanes undivided).

SH 2's southern terminus has also changed. It formed the southern part of the Wellington Urban Motorway when SH 1 finished at the Aotea Quay off-ramp. In 1996, SH 1 replaced this section.

Future

Currently there are several projects to improve SH 2. They include:

Traffic

The busiest section of SH 2 is just north of the Ngauranga Interchange in Wellington, which was measured at km 977.6 to have an AADT of 67,000 vehicles.[9] The quietest section of road is near Otoko in the Gisborne District, which was measured at km 389.5 to have an AADT of 1000 vehicles.

Major intersections

Territorial authority Location km Destinations Notes
Franklin District Pokeno 0 SH 1 north
(Waikato Expressway)
Auckland		 SH 2 begins
SH 1 south
(Waikato Expressway)
Hamilton
Waikato District District contains no major junctions
Hauraki District Mangatarata 34 SH 25
Thames, Coromandel Peninsula		 Roundabout
37 SH 27
Matamata, Tirau
Paeroa Waihou River
72 SH 26 north
(Arney Street)
Coromandel Peninsula, Thames		 SH 2/SH 26 concurrency begins
73 SH 26 south
(Te Aroha Road)
Hamilton		 SH 2/SH 26 concurrency ends
Waihi 93 SH 25/Pacific Coast Highway
Whangamata, Tairua		 SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway concurrency begins
Western Bay of Plenty District District west of Tauranga contains no major junctions
Tauranga City Cambridge Heights 149 Waihi Road
Otumoetai
Tauranga City 151 SH 29 (Takitimu Drive Toll Road)
Hamilton, Rotorua		 Westbound exit to SH 29. Eastbound entry to SH 2
Fifteenth Avenue
Tauranga South, Greerton, Welcome Bay, Maungatapu		 Formerly SH 2A. Eastbound exit to Fifteenth Avenue. Westbound entry to SH 2
153 Elizabeth St
City Centre
154 Chapel St
Otumoetai
City Centre		 Grade Separated Junction
155 Port of Tauranga Grade Separated Junction
Mount Maunganui 157 Totara St
Mount Maunganui
160 Maunganui Road (North)
Mount Maunganui
Omanu Beach		 Also known as the Hewletts Road Flyover
Te Maunga 164 SH 29A
Welcome Bay, Tauranga South, Hamilton
Western Bay of Plenty District Paengaroa 189 SH 33
Rotorua		 Roundabout
Whakatane District Matata 223 Pacific Coast Highway
(Arawa Street)
Whakatane
Hawkens Junction 232 SH 34
(Awaiti South Road)
Kawerau, Rotorua		 SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway concurrency ends
Edgecumbe Rangitaiki River
Awakeri 242 SH 30 west
Rotorua		 SH 2/SH 30 concurrency begins
243 SH 30 east
Whakatane		 SH 2/SH 30 concurrency ends
Opotiki District Kerurutahi 285 Pacific Coast Highway
(Wainui Road)
Whakatane		 SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway concurrency begins
Opotiki 304 SH 35/Pacific Coast Highway
(St John Street)
Te Kaha, Te Araroa		 SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway concurrency ends
Gisborne District Makaraka 443 Pacific Coast Highway
(Main Road)
Gisborne, Te Araroa		 SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway concurrency begins
Matawhero 444 SH 35
(Awapuni Road)
Gisborne
Wairoa District North Clyde 533 SH 38
(Mahia Avenue)
Frasertown, Lake Waikaremoana
Hastings District District north of Napier contains no major junctions
Napier City Bay View 638 SH 5/Thermal Explorer Highway
(Eskdale Drive)
Taupo
Westshore 647 SH 2B
(Hawke's Bay Expressway)
Hastings
Napier Central 649 SH 50 north
(Hyderabad Road)
Port		 SH 2/SH 50 concurrency begins
650 SH 50 south
(Taradale Road)
Taradale, Hastings, Wellington		 SH 2/SH 50 concurrency ends
Pacific Coast Highway and SH2/Pacific Coast Highway concurrency ends
Classic New Zealand Wine Trail and SH 2/Classic NZ Wine Trail concurrency begins
Hastings District Karamu 669 SH 2 temporarily ends
Pakipaki 678 SH 2 resumes
SH 50A
(Hawke's Bay Expressway)
Napier
Central Hawke's Bay District Takapau 743 SH 50
Tikokino, Ongaonga
Tararua District Manawatu River
Woodville 802 SH 3
(Vogel Street)
Palmerston North
Ngawapurua 808 Manawatu River
Masterton District District contains no major junctions
Carterton District
South Wairarapa District Greytown 909 Classic NZ Wine Trail
(Moroa Plains Road)
Martinborough		 SH 2/Classic NZ Wine Trail concurrency ends
Featherston 921 SH 53/Classic NZ Wine Trail
(Revans Street)
Martinborough		 SH 2/Classic NZ Wine Trail concurrency begins
Upper Hutt City District contains no major junctions
Hutt City Manor Park 962 SH 58
(Haywards Hill Road)
Pauatahanui, Porirua
Wellington City Ngauranga 979 SH 1 north/Classic NZ Wine Trail south
(Hutt Road)
Ngauranga, Porirua, Picton Ferry		 SH 2/Classic NZ Wine Trail concurrency ends
Traffic for The Interislander ferry to Picton and the South Island exits here.
SH 1 south
(Wellington Urban Motorway)
City Centre, Airport		 SH 2 ends

SH 2B

Territorial authority Location km Destinations Notes
Napier City Westshore 0 SH 2 north
(Main Road North)
Napier Airport, Gisborne 		SH 2B begins
SH 2B/Hawkes Bay Expressway concurrency begins
SH 2 south
(Meeanee Quay)
Napier City
Onekawa 2.4 Prebensen Road Roundabout
4.1 SH 50 north
(Taradale Road)
Port of Napier 		Roundabout
SH 2B ends
SH 2B/Hawkes Bay Expressway concurrency ends
SH 50 south
Hawkes Bay Expressway
Hastings

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Where the toll roads are". NZTA.
  2. ↑ "Tight corner on Rimutaka Hill Road consigned to history". New Zealand. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Kopuku Realignment". NZTA. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Maramarua Highway Safe System Corridor Project". NZTA. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "SH2 BOP Northern Corridor Safe System project". NZTA. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Motu Bridge replacement confirmed". 27 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Fast track for new $42m interchange". Stuff/Fairfax. 14 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "SH2 Melling to Haywards upgrade". NZTA. 26 April 2015.
  9. ↑
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