The Inland Kaikōura Road, formerly designated State Highway 70, is a provincial highway in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand that runs from just south of

Kaikōura Kaikōura (; ) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of as of . Kaikōura is th ...

to just north of

Culverden Culverden is a small town in the northern Canterbury Region, Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It lies at the centre of the Amuri Plain. Culverden has traditionally been surrounded by sheep farms. Dairy farms have now become more ...

via Waiau and

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

. 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

Kaikōura Coast Kaikōura (; ) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on State Highway 1, north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of as of . Kaikōura is the seat of the territorial au ...

. Following the 14 November

2016 Kaikōura earthquake The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake was a 7.8 earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand that occurred two minutes after midnight on 14 November 2016 Time in New Zealand, NZDT (11:02 on 13 November UTC). earthquake rupture, Ruptures occurred on ...

, all roads into Kaikōura were closed including SH70; after extensive regrading and clearance the Inland Road was the first road connection to Kaikōura to reopen and was a lifeline for the community.

History

The highway lost its

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

status because of the lack of traffic using it. In 1991 the section from Waiau to Kaikōura was revoked. Before revocation approximately 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 and winds through steep hill country with several river valleys. The road was closed following the

and was for a few days open to the military only; the first army convoy reached Kaikōura on Friday, 18 November 2016, and this was the only land route into Kaikōura since SH1 was cut off by the earthquake. Some time later, registered convoys were allowed. Unrestricted access was restored on 19 December 2016, giving the public road access to Kaikōura again.

Route

The highway runs inland on the Inland Kaikōura Road from SH 1 just south of Kaikōura. 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, eventually passing the intersection with Mt Lyford Forrest Drive (for access to Mt Lyford Alpine Village and Ski Area) and going through the small townships of Waiau (petrol available here) and Rotherham before ending a
Red Post
the junction of Rotherham Point Road and SH 7's Mouse Point Road just north of Culverden.

Major intersections

References

{{New Zealand State Highway navbox Roads in New Zealand Transport in the Canterbury Region

History

Route

Major intersections

See also

References