Inland Kaikoura Road

State Highway 70
Route information
Maintained by Kaikoura District Council
Hurunui District Council
Status: Revoked
Tourist
routes:		 Alpine Pacific Triangle
Major junctions
North end: SH 1 south of Kaikoura
South end: SH 7 north of Culverden
Location
Primary
destinations:		 Mt Lyford, Waiau, Rotherham
Highway system
← SH 69SH 71 →

The Inland Kaikoura Road, formerly designated State Highway 70, is a provincial highway in the South Island of New Zealand that runs from just south of Kaikoura to just north of Culverden via Waiau and Rotherham. White shields are used to signify this highway. It forms part of the Alpine Pacific Triangle tourist route. It also serves as an alternative inland route in cases where SH 1 is closed near the South Kaikoura coast. Following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, all roads into Kaikoura were closed including Route 70; it was the first road connection to Kaikoura to reopen in mid-December.

History

Conway River Bridge, Canterbury, New Zealand

The highway lost its state highway status because of the lack of traffic using it.[1] In 1991 the section from Waiau to Kaikoura was revoked. Before revocation approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) of highway was unsealed; however this was later sealed by the two district councils which maintained it. The remainder of SH 70 was revoked in 2004. Because of its scenic qualities it is now noted as one of the must drive roads in New Zealand. The road in parts is narrow, unsealed and winds through steep hill country.[2] The road was closed following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and was for a few days open to the military only; the first army convoy reached Kaikoura on Friday, 18 November 2016, and this was the only land route into Kaikoura since SH 1 was cut off by the earthquake.[3] Some time later, registered convoys were allowed. Unrestricted access was restored on 19 December 2016, giving the public road access to Kaikoura again.[4]

Route

The highway runs inland on the Inland Kaikoura Road from SH 1 just south of Kaikoura. It then turns south west running almost parallel to SH 1 in an adjacent valley. Passing over the Conway River the road becomes the Inland Road. It continues south, passing the intersection with Mt Lyford Forrest Drive and going through the small townships of Waiau and Rotherham, before ending at the junction of Rotherham Point Road and SH 7's Mouse Point Road just north of Culverden.

Major intersections

Territorial authority Location km Destinations Notes
Kaikoura District Kaikoura 0 SH 1 north – Kaikoura, Picton
SH 1 south – Cheviot, Christchurch		 Highway 70 begins
16 Linton Creek
19 Kahutara River
24 Green Burn
Hurunui District 30 Charwell River
Conway River
Lyford 55 Mason River
(Mount Lyford Forest Drive) – Mount Lyford Village
67 Wandle River
72 Lottery River
75 Mason River
Waiau 19 (78) (Lyndon Street) – Cheviot, Kaikoura via Leader Road ()
18 (79) Waiau River
(Beavers Road)
(Flintoft Mouse Point Road) – Hanmer Springs, West Coast via Lewis Pass ()
Culverden 0 (97) SH 7 south (Mouse Point Road) – Culverden, Christchurch
SH 7 north (Mouse Point Road) – Hanmer Springs, West Coast via Lewis Pass		 Highway 70 ends

See also

References

  1. ↑ "State Highway Traffic Volumes 1990" (PDF). www.Nzta.govt.nz.
  2. ↑ "The 10 NZ roads you must drive". Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Bayer, Kurt (25 November 2016). "Army reaches Kaikoura after delay". The Press. p. A5. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Small, Jamie (20 December 2016). "'Relief' as inland road opens". The Press. p. A1. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
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