SH2 (New Zealand)

The SH2 is the third longest New Zealand State Highway, and stretches around much of the east coast of North Island, forming a very long way round between Auckland and the Capital at Wellington. Along the way, it passes through several of the countries larger towns and cities, dodges along the coast and crosses some of New Zealands stunning hills. While some sections are motorway, others are narrow S2, offering a wide variety of road quality and scenery for the few people who chose to drive it end to end.

Pokeno - Gisborne

The start of SH2, peeling off SH1 south of Auckland

SH2 starts at a Trumpet Interchange on SH1 at Pokeno, just outside Auckland, and heads east. It soon gains an unusual 90kph limit as it winds across the undulating landscape. At Mangatarata, it TOTSOs left, SH27 continuing ahead, and crosses the flat plain which stretches across the southern end of the Bay of Thames. The largest of the plains rivers, the Waihou River, is crossed just before the road enters the small town of Paeroa. After many kilometres of easy running, however, the terrain changes as the road winds through the coastal hills. There are no severe climbs, the summit is low, but the route has to wind through a narrow pass, following the Ohinemuri River as it works its way eastwards.

Penned in between the steeply sloping sides of this narrow pass, the road appears to be built up on the river bed in places. To either side, a verdant forest of palms, ferns and larger trees climbs away as the road snakes through. The pass is not long, and soon the road emerges into open farmland, quickly followed by the town of Waihi. From here, we turn southwards, with a short sharp drop down to the coast at Shelly Bay. After briefly skirting the head of a beach, the road turns inland, cutting across the finger of land that project into the ragged coastline of the bay. We pass through the larger town of Katikati, but most of the other settlements lie down side roads nearer the shore.

At the southern end of the bay lies the city of Tauranga, bridges connecting the various suburbs to the centre as it spans a series of inlets. SH2 becomes a dual carriageway in the outskirts, and then finds a tangle of sliproads with SH29. Here the former spur of SH2A, downgraded in 2015, continues ahead while the mainline turns north and skirts the shore to the west of the CBD. It then crosses a bridge to the industrial area between the port and airport. The old Spur connected up with SH29A, but was downgraded after the toll roads were implemented.

SH2 turns and runs parallel to the coast on the landward side of Papamoa, the bypass being a motorway. The next section, bypassing Te Puke, is also a motorway, but this time tolled, with the old road through the town still carrying the traffic which avoids the tolls! The motorway ends at a roundabout from where SH33 continues ahead to Rotorua, while SH2 turns east to find the coast again. After several kilometres following the railway along the top of the beach, they both turn inland at Matata, curving across the wide valley of Rangitaiki River, which is crossed at Edgecumbe.

After several kilometres of undulating through the foothills, the road returns to the coast for a short distance to Opotiki, where it abruptly turns south and follows the Waioeka River upstream. At first there is a long straight across the coastal plain, but all too soon the mountains are reached, and a long tortuous climb through the forest ensues. At length the main river is left behind, and the road follows small side valleys as they twist and turn ever higher. There are some near hairpins and long series of bends before the summit at over 700m is reached. After a short sharp drop, the road levels out, crossing the farmland around the small village of Matawai.

There then follows a long, meandering descent following the Waihuka and Waipaoa Rivers towards the coast at Gisborne. Along the way, the road passes through a couple of villages, including the larger one of Te Karaka, but mostly it is a landscape of scattered farms and houses dotted across the fields. SH2 doesn't really enter Gisborne. Instead, it TOTSOs right in the surburban village of Makaraka, meeting SH35 soon after, which does run through the town.

Gisborne - Hastings

After crossing the Waipaoa River, SH2 continues south, following a shallow valley parallel to the coast, but separated from it by a low ridge of hills. Inevitably, the valley comes to an end, and the hills grow taller, forcing the road to climb. The summit lies at over 500m, but while the gradient is steep in places, the bends are less severe than elsewhere on the route, and so a sinuous series of bends lift the road up through the forest. There is some open moorland just beyond the summit, but then the road plunges back down through the trees, before a steeper drop in open country takes the route back towards sea level.

A roundabout in the village of Nuhaka turns the route west, along the coast, although there are only occasional glimpses of the sea. After Whakaki, the road runs along the shore of the Whakaki Lagoon, but it is not the open sea, and beyond the route tends further inland to Wairoa. SH2 turns left at a TOTSO with SH38 in the northern suburb of North Clyde, and crosses the Wairoa River, before turning to follow its south bank upstream. The river soon meanders away, however, and the road continues west, meandering across the hills. Small villages are passed and rivers crossed, but the route only climbs past 250m twice, and is generally devoid of steep climbs and sharp bends.

This changes beyond Lake Tutira, however, where the road climbs steeply up round a hairpin called the Devils Elbow to a summit of over 350m, before a gentler descent through the forest. At length, the road is back on the coast, and turning south into Napier. Squeezing between the beach and the airport, along with the railway and a band of luxury houses, the road comes to a roundabout. Here, SH2 turns left, heading for the CBD, but the main through route continues ahead. At first, this is SH2B, which bridges the 'Main Outfall Channel' and then meets SH50. Along with its spur, SH50A, this is the main route south, and as we shall see, it really should become a re-routed SH2.

The SH2 mainline, meanwhile, runs along the coast, then cuts across the inner harbour for a short multiplex with SH50. It then follows Georges Drive as it cuts across the headland on which the city centre was built, back to the Pacific Coast. Here, it turns south, running along the coast and out of Napier, before crossing the Ngaruroro River. The final stretch of this part of SH2 then crosses another small channel and turns to follow it upstream towards Hastings. However, for some reason the route comes to an end at the outskirts of the city. The section of SH2 through the CBD has been downgraded to be a local road, and so the only State Highway to pass Hastings is SH50A, as noted above.

Pakipaki - Wellington

The southern section of SH2 starts at a roundabout with SH50A at the small village of Pakipaki. The old line of SH2 to the north is now a local road, meaning that the majority of through traffic will have followed SH50A, bypassing Hastings, and begging the question why SH2 hasn't been re-routed. The route meanders south west, often alongside the railway line, past the small town of Otane and on to Waipawa on the banks of the Waipawa River. The route climbs gently, but is generally well aligned as it crosses open farmland.

After crossing the river, the road continues to the Tukituki River, crossing it to enter the town of Waipukurau. Turning west, and following the river upstream, the gradient increases a little as the thin line of hills on the horizon draw closer. The road continues to climb across the hillside, although this is still open farmland, occasionally interrupted by small gulleys through which the streams and rivers flow. The summit is reached near the small village of Norsewood, after which the road generally runs downhill, although again there are small gulleys to be crossed.

At length the larger town of Dannevirke is reached, strung along the roadside for a couple of kilometres before the town centre is reached. Beyond, the road once more follows the railway south west to Woodville at the end of SH3, where it turns a little to the south. After crossing the Manawatu and Mangatainoka Rivers, it follows the latter upstream through the small town of Pahaiatua, beyond which it follows a tributary, the Makakahai River, crossing it several times before reachign the watershed at around 370m. The summit lies on the edge of the vast forest that covers the spine of hills which run down towards Wellington, and the road soon drops to the banks of the Ruamahanga River.

SH2 lies down to the left as SH58 drops down to meet it

The river is followed southwards into Masterton, where the road turns south west once more, passing through a series of towns strung across the floor of this wide valley. From Fetherston, however, there is one last obstacle to overcome. In order to reach journey's end and Wellington, the route has to cross the ridge of mountains to the west coast. At first the climb is gentle through a narrow, wooded valley, but all too soon the gradient increases as the road starts climbing through the forest. There are some tight bends to negotiate as the road squirms up through the trees before finally reaching the summit at around 560m. The descent is, if anything, a little steeper, but shorter before the road levels off as it emerges from the forest.

It is not long before the northern suburbs of Upper Hutt appear ahead, the road winding through to rejoin the Hutt River as it flows downstream towards Wellington Bay. Running along River Road, SH2 widens out to dual carriageway, before crossing the river on an S2 bridge. Dualled once more, the road follows the west bank to Manor Park, where it meets SH58 at a new GSJ opened in 2017. After the signalised junction providing access to Lower Hutts CBD, the road becomes motorway again, following the base of the hills south west to the coast. It is then just a short run, with the railway alongside, to the junction with SH1, and the end of the route on the outskirts of Wellington.