Star.pngStar.pngStar.pngStar grey.pngStar grey.png

SH12 (New Zealand)

From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
SH12
Error: Invalid type specified
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (3)
From:  Ohaeawai
To:  Brynderwyn
Via:  Dargarville
Distance:  217 km (134.8 miles)
Meets:  SH1, SH15, SH14, SH1
Highway Authorities

NZ Transport Agency

Route outline (key)
SH12 Ohaeawai - Brynderwyn

Ohaeawai - Dargaville

The SH12 makes a lengthy, scenic loop along the west coast of New Zealands Northland region. As such, most of it forms part of the Twin Coast Discovery tourist route, which explores the area north of Auckland. The route starts on SH1 at Ohaeawai and heads south west, quickly crossing SH15 with a short multiplex in Kaikohe. The climb in to the hills is hardly perceptible, the hills themselves hardly noticeable ahead, but the change from small green fields to rough moorland fields between patches of woodland is easily seen. After a series of long straights, there are also some tighter bends to be negotiated.

The road then finds the Takeke River, and follows it downstream to Taheke. Continuing west, the road skirts through the hills to the south of Hokianga Harbour, a vast ragged inlet which is met at the end of the Rawene road, where a causeway and bridge carry the road over tidal mudflats. Turning off here, a ferry crosses the harbour from Rawene, providing a short cut for locals and tourists alike. Continuing west, the road gradually converges on the coast, meeting it at Opononi, and then following the shore south through Ompaere at the mouth of this beautiful estuary. The road climbs steeply out of Omapere, with a side road continuing west to the headland viewpoint at the entrance to Hokianga Harbour.

The road twisting through Waipoua Forest

The main road turns inland and quickly drops into the valley of the Waimamakau River, and passing through the small village of Waiotemarama and then Waimamakau where the river is crossed. The road then climbs out of the valley and into Waipoua Forest, a vast dense jungle completely devoid of any views out from the road. The climbs starts easily enough, but becomes more intense as it gets deeper into the trees, quickly becoming a sequence of near continuous left-right bends, occasionally punctuated with short straights. The edges of the road, particularly on the bends, are often covered with moss and dead leaves, pushing traffic in to the centre of what it a relatively narrow S2 road, which causes you to drive ever slower in case of oncoming traffic. There are many roads across New Zealand which are similar, but this is one of the most challenging to drive, as the scenery is unchanging while the gradients are constantly changing, with adverse cambers and absolutely no room for error with oncoming traffic.

At length the road emerges back in to the sunshine, for welcome relief, and as the trees peel back you find yourselves not down near sea level, but high up near the crest of rolling hills, with stunning views east across the vast canopy of trees. The road stays high, switching back and forth across the crest and offering some amazing views, with glimpses of the distant Tasman Sea occasionally visible between the folds of the hills. This is dairy farm country, and for many miles there is a stock road alongside the road allowing cattle to be driven from field to farmyard without needing to use the road. In places, the stock road looks like it might be a previous alignment of SH12, before it was widened, but it is not clear if this is the case.

At length, the road drops a little to the east in to the widening valley of the Kaihu River. Scattered villages, rather than lonely farms come in to view spread out across the valley floor. Instead of following the crest of the hills, the road is now running along the base of the slopes, vast forestry plantations climbing above, with many timber lorries on the road as the trees are being harvested. The river leads the road on southwards into the town of Dargaville.

Dargaville - Brynderwyn

The very long bridge at Dargaville

Dargaville is not just the largest town along the road, but the largest in the area. It lies on the north bank of the wide Wairoa River. The road winds round and in to the town centre, where it meets SH14 at a TOTSO. Turning right, SH12 crosses a long bridge over the wide river, leaving the town behind. The river has also turned, so the road now runs along the east bank in a series of long straights. Due to a high flood bank along the river, and a series of fields between the two, it is often difficult to be sure that the river is still there as you continues south!

The river comes back in to sharp view however as the road negotiates a couple of sharp rock cut bends where ridges of hard rock cut across the valley to meet the river. Beyond, however, the road resumes the series of long straights across wide, flat farmland as it heads in to Ruawai. Here it turns sharply eastwards, away from the river which opens out into Kaipara Harbour. The road remains mostly straight, with some slight bends, as it crosses some low hills to another inlet of the harbour at Matakohe. Here two bridges carry the road over the upper reaches of the inlet before it climbs again, heading north east now for Paparoa.

Paparoa is the first of a series of small towns and villages which are strung along the roadside, often just one street deep, as it works its way eastwards. Turning south would require bridges over the long meandering inlets of Kaipara Harbour, another of which is met at Maungaturoto, the largest of the towns. It is then just a few short kilometres east to meet SH1 once more at Brynderwyn.




SH12 (New Zealand)
Related Pictures
View gallery (3)
Sh12-waipoua1.jpgSh12-straight.jpgSh12-darg-br1.jpg
State Highways in New Zealand
SH1 • SH2 • SH3 • SH4 • SH5 • SH6 • SH7 • SH8 • SH9 • SH10 • SH11 • SH12 • SH13 • SH14 • SH15 • SH16 • SH17 • SH18 • SH19
SH20 • SH21 • SH22 • SH23 • SH24 • SH25 • SH26 • SH27 • SH28 • SH29 • SH30 • SH31 • SH32 • SH33 • SH34 • SH35 • SH36 • SH37 • SH38 • SH39
SH40 • SH41 • SH42 • SH43 • SH44 • SH45 • SH46 • SH47 • SH48 • SH49 • SH50 • SH51 • SH52 • SH53 • SH54 • SH55 • SH56 • SH57 • SH58 • SH59
SH60 • SH61 • SH62 • SH63 • SH64 • SH65 • SH66 • SH67 • SH68 • SH69 • SH70 • SH71 • SH72 • SH73 • SH74 • SH75 • SH76 • SH77 • SH78 • SH79
SH80 • SH81 • SH82 • SH83 • SH84 • SH85 • SH86 • SH87 • SH88 • SH89 • SH90 • SH91 • SH92 • SH93 • SH94 • SH95 • SH96 • SH97 • SH98 • SH99
Other notable roads in New Zealand: Ninety Mile Beach • List of Local Roads in Auckland


SABRE - The Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts
Discuss - Digest - Discover - Help