State Highway 25 (SH 25) is a New Zealand state highway that runs eastwards across the

Hauraki Plains The Hauraki Plains are a geographical area located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the lower (northern) end of the Thames Valley, New Zealand, Thames Valley. They are located 75 kilometres south-east of Auckland, at the foot of ...

then northwards up the western side of

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula () on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean ...

and down the eastern side to

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

. The route is very scenic and provides access to idyllic beach holiday locations. It is a major road for holidaymakers and tourists, with the summer period around Christmas and New Year's Eve a particularly busy time. It is single carriageway for the entire route. The road is windy in many parts and prone to accidents. It is New Zealand's third longest two-digit state highway, after and . It is part of the Pacific Coast Highway. There is one spur road, SH 25A, which cuts across the peninsula west to east, almost intersecting SH 25 at both ends.

Route

SH 25 diverges from at a roundabout 3 km north of Mangatarata and 11 km south-east of Maramarua, and runs eastwards across the northern end of the Hauraki Plains. It crosses the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roung ...

on the new Kopu Bridge to the junction with and turns northwards through the township of

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. The road continues north on the western side of Coromandel Peninsula, skirting the Firth of Thames, into the small township of Coromandel before travelling eastwards across the peninsula to Kūaotunu on the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

side. There it turns south to Whitianga, running through the outskirts of the town on the Whitianga Bypass, and on through Coroglen and Whenuakite, then over windy hill roads into

Tairua Tairua is a beachside town located on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand in the Thames-Coromandel District. It is located 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Auckland and 125 kilometers (78 miles) north ...

, where

Pauanui The town of Pauanui (, meaning "big pāua") is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its south bank, directly opposite the larger town of Tairua. The two ...

is accessible on a side road. SH 25 continues southwards through the intersection with the spur highway SH 25A just south of Hikuai and on towards Whangamatā. The road bypasses Whangamatā on the west side and continues southbound until it terminates in Waihi at the intersection of Kenny Street & Rosemont Road.

Spurs

State Highway 25A (SH 25A) traverses Coromandel Peninsula west to east directly from Kopu to Hikuai. This 28.2 km road, opened on 23 March 1967 and sealed in 1973, begins at an intersection with SH26 just 400m away from the SH 25/SH 26 intersection. It terminates at SH 25 just south of Hikuai. In January 2023 a large landslide destroyed a section of the highway, effectively closing the highway. A bridge had to be built across the landslide, and the highway reopened in December 2023.

Route changes

SH 25 once went through the town centres of Whitianga and Whangamatā. In Whitianga, the bypass was constructed carrying traffic away from the original route via Buffalo Beach Road, Albert Street, and South Highway. In Whangamatā, SH 25 bypasses the town via Tairua Road instead of using Harry Watt Drive, Hetherington Road and Port Road. In the early 2000s the last sections of the highway were sealed, mainly on the northern part between Coromandel township and Whitianga. In 2011 NZTA completed the new Kopu Bridge, a two-lane structure, across the Waihou River. It replaced the previous one-lane bridge, where at times holidaymakers had to queue for hours to cross. The old bridge, which was built in 1928, is scheduled to be deconstructed although a key part of its history will be preserved.

Major junctions

References

{{New Zealand State Highway navbox 25 Coromandel Peninsula Transport in Waikato Firth of Thames

Route

Spurs

Route changes

Major junctions

See also

References