Southern Scenic Route
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| Route information | |
| Maintained by New Zealand Transport Agency, Venture Southland, Destination Queenstown, Destination Fiordland, Clutha District Council, Dunedin City Council and Department of Conservation | |
| Length: | 610 km (380 mi) |
| Existed: | 6 November 1988 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: |
 ,  SH 6 at Queenstown |
|
 SH 1 at Waihola | |
| East end: |
SH 1 at Caversham, Dunedin |
| Highway system | |
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 in Tuatapere in November 1985 and confirmed at a public meeting in January 1986.[3] The promotors 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 Southern Scenic Route opened officially on 6 November 1988,[3] initially Te Anau-Balclutha. The route was extended to Dunedin in 1998[3] and to Queenstown in 2010.
Route
Current route
The Southern Scenic Route follows a U-shaped route from Queenstown to Dunedin.[1] Skirting the eastern boundary of Fiordland National Park the route 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 joined, and the Southern Scenic Route follows Highway 6 south into Invercargill.
From Invercargill the Southern Scenic Route heads east through Fortrose into the Catlins then through Owaka to Balclutha. This part was formerly a state highway, State Highway 92. The next section of rugged coastline with poor roading through Kaitangata is avoided as the Southern Scenic Route follows SH1 to Milton and Lake Waihola.
The Southern Scenic Route leaves the highway at Waihola and climbs through Otago Coast Forest rejoining the coastline at Taieri Mouth. From here the route follows secondary roads through Brighton and Green Island ending where it meets SH1 again at Caversham.
Proposed extensions
In early 2007[4] a proposal arose to extend the route northward beyond Dunedin through Waitati. Later, 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.[5] In 2010 the route was officially extended to Queenstown.
References
- 1 2 route map on official website
- ↑ Dennis, Anthony (2 December 2008). "World's top emerging travel destinations". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax). Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Julie Walls (ed) Southern Scenic Route Visitor Publication 7ed, Focus Publications, Te Anau, November 2006
- ↑ from blueskin.co.nz
- ↑ 'Blueskin Road proposed for Scenic Highway' on blueskin.co.nz, retrieved 19 November 2007
External links
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