Southern Scenic Route

Last updated

Southern scenic route NZ marker.jpg
Southern Scenic Route
NZ-SouthernScenicRoute.png
Route information
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency, Venture Southland, Destination Queenstown, Destination Fiordland, Clutha District Council, Dunedin City Council and Department of Conservation
Length610 km (380 mi)
Existed6 November 1988 (6 November 1988)–present
Major junctions
West end State Highway 6 NZ.svg State Highway 6a NZ.svg SH 6 at Queenstown
Major intersections State Highway 6 NZ.svg SH 6 and State Highway 97 NZ.svg SH 97 at Five Rivers

State Highway 97 NZ.svg SH 97 and State Highway 94 NZ.svg SH 94 at Mossburn
State Highway 94 NZ.svg SH 94 and State Highway 95 NZ.svg SH 95 at Te Anau
State Highway 95 NZ.svg SH 95 at Manapouri
State Highway 99 NZ.svg SH 99 at Clifden
State Highway 6 NZ.svg SH 6, State Highway 98 NZ.svg SH 98 and State Highway 99 NZ.svg SH 99 at Lorneville
State Highway 1 NZ.svg SH 1 and State Highway 6 NZ.svg SH 6 at Invercargill
State Highway 1 NZ.svg SH 1 at Balclutha
State Highway 1 NZ.svg SH 1 and State Highway 8 NZ.svg SH 8 at Clarksville

Contents

State Highway 1 NZ.svg SH 1 at Waihola
East end State Highway 1 NZ.svg SH 1 at Caversham, Dunedin
Location
Country New Zealand
Highway system
Official logo Southernsceniclogo.jpg
Official logo
On Lake Te Anau On Lake Te Anau.jpg
On Lake Te Anau

The Southern Scenic Route is a tourist highway in New Zealand linking Queenstown, Fiordland, Te Anau and the iconic Milford Road to Dunedin via, Riverton, Invercargill and The Catlins. [1] An Australian travel magazine labelled it "one of the world's great undiscovered drives" in 2008. [2]

History and development

The Southern Scenic Route concept and name were conceived at an informal gathering by Tuatapere residents John Fraser and Les Hutchins in November 1985 and confirmed at a public meeting in January 1986. [3] [4] The promoters then negotiated with road and tourism authorities and local government.

The project was a first for New Zealand and approval was a slow process. [3] At one stage, traffic signs were installed in a clandestine operation. [3] The Route opened officially on 6 November 1988, [3] initially running between Te Anau in the west and Balclutha in the east. It was extended from Balclutha to Dunedin in 1998 [3] and from Te Anau to Queenstown in 2010.

Route

Current route

Invercargill Water Tower, viewed from Leet St Invercargill Water Tower.jpg
Invercargill Water Tower, viewed from Leet St
Purakaunui Falls, 17 km (11 mi) southwest of Owaka Purakaunui.jpg
Purakaunui Falls, 17 km (11 mi) southwest of Owaka

The Route runs in a U shape from Queenstown to Dunedin. [1] The first stretches of the route are along State Highway 6, along the southern coast of Lake Wakatipu. The route turns west before skirting the eastern boundary of Fiordland National Park, where it passes Manapouri and Tuatapere. At Te Waewae Bay the coast is reached and the route swings eastward towards Orepuki, Colac Bay, and Riverton. At Lorneville the New Zealand state highway network is rejoined, and the Southern Scenic Route runs on SH 6 for just eight kilometres south into Invercargill.

From Invercargill the route heads east through Fortrose and into the Catlins, then through Owaka to Balclutha. This part was formerly SH 92. The next section of rugged coastline with poor roading through Kaitangata is avoided, as the Southern Scenic Route follows SH 1 to Milton and Lake Waihola.

The Route leaves the highway at Waihola and climbs through Otago Coast Forest, reaching the coast at Taieri Mouth. From here it follows secondary roads through Brighton and Green Island, ending where it meets SH 1 again at Caversham.

Proposed extensions

In early 2007 [5] a proposal arose to extend the route northward beyond Dunedin through Waitati. In November 2007, the Dunedin City Council confirmed that it planned to talk with the Waitaki District Council about extending the route to Oamaru, an idea that was not adopted. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverton / Aparima</span> Town in the South Island of New Zealand

Riverton, officially Riverton / Aparima, is a small New Zealand town 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Invercargill, on the south-eastern shorelines of the Jacobs River Estuary. The estuary is formed by the Aparima and Pourakino rivers, leading through a narrow outflow channel into Foveaux Strait. Accessible via State Highway 99 on the Southern Scenic Route, the main part of the town is on flat land and the northern end of Oreti Beach. South Riverton is built on the hills between the eastern shore of the estuary and Taramea Bay.

The New Zealand state highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Nearly 100 roads in the North and South Islands are state highways. All state highways are administered by the NZ Transport Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milford Sound</span> Fiord in the southwest of New Zealands South Island

Milford Sound is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth Wonder of the World. The fiord is most commonly accessed via road by tour coach, with the road terminating at a small village also called Milford Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiordland</span> Geographical region of New Zealand

Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, and its steep, glacier-carved and now ocean-flooded western valleys. The name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "fjord". The area of Fiordland is dominated by, and very roughly coterminous with, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Anau</span> Town in Southland, New Zealand

Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Māori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Te Anau is 155 kilometres north of Invercargill and 171 kilometres to the southwest of Queenstown. Manapouri lies 21 kilometres to the south. Te Anau lies at the southern end of the Milford Road, 117 kilometres to the south of Milford Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Catlins</span> Coastal region of the South Island of New Zealand

The Catlins comprise an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions. It includes the South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiau River (Southland)</span> River in New Zealand

The Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland region of New Zealand. 'Waiau' translates to 'River of Swirling Currents'. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres (43 mi) before reaching the Foveaux Strait 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Tuatapere. It also takes water from Lake Monowai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Highway 1 (New Zealand)</span> Road in New Zealand

State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand road network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the South Island.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Highway 6 (New Zealand)</span> Road in New Zealand

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Highway 94 (New Zealand)</span> Road in New Zealand

State Highway 94 is a New Zealand state highway connecting the large Southland town of Gore with one of New Zealand's most popular destinations, Milford Sound. It also passes the significant townships of Lumsden and Te Anau as well going through the Homer Tunnel. The road also goes through Fiordland and crosses the Main Divide of the Southern Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Highway 95 (New Zealand)</span> Road in New Zealand

State Highway 95 is a New Zealand state highway connecting the town of Manapouri with Te Anau at State Highway 94. The highway is a major tourist road and skirts the eastern border of Fiordland National Park between Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri. The entire length of the road lies on the Southern Scenic Route between Queenstown and Dunedin via Invercargill. The road itself is largely flat and passes through agricultural land, but affords views of the scenic mountain ranges of Fiordland.

State Highway 97 (SH 97) is a New Zealand State Highway connecting the settlements of Five Rivers and Mossburn in the Southland region. The highway was gazetted in 2004 to reflect the increasing amount of traffic between the tourist destinations of Queenstown and Fiordland National Park and provides a bypass of the town of Lumsden, where SH 6 and 94 intersect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Highway 99 (New Zealand)</span> Road in New Zealand

State Highway 99 is a New Zealand state highway which runs along the southern coastline of the South Island connecting the settlements of Clifden and Lorneville, near Invercargill, via the major town of Riverton in the Southland region. The road is important both as a freight route, especially for logging and agricultural purposes, and as a tourist route; the entire length of the highway is part of the Southern Scenic Route as it provides access to southern parts of Fiordland National Park.

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Southland is an electorate to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was first created for the 2020 New Zealand general election and has since then been held by Joseph Mooney of the National Party.

References

  1. 1 2 route map on official website
  2. Dennis, Anthony (2 December 2008). "World's top emerging travel destinations". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Julie Walls (ed) Southern Scenic Route Visitor Publication 7ed, Focus Publications, Te Anau, November 2006
  4. Dodgshun, Joe (12 February 2011). "Scenic drive completes the circle". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. from blueskin.co.nz
  6. 'Blueskin Road proposed for Scenic Highway' on blueskin.co.nz, retrieved 19 November 2007

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