New Zealand State Highway 3

State Highway 3
Route information
Maintained by New Zealand Transport Agency
Length:	500 km (300 mi)
Major junctions
North end:	SH 1 at Hamilton
South end:	SH 2 at Woodville
Location
Primary destinations:	Te Awamutu, Otorohanga, Te Kuiti, New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui, Palmerston North
Highway system
New Zealand State Highways Motorways and Expressways • List • Unused ← SH 2 SH 4 →

State Highway 3 is one of New Zealand's eight national highways. It serves the west coast of the country's North Island and forms a link between State Highway 1 and State Highway 2. Distances are measured from north to south.

For most of its length SH3 is a two-lane single carriageway, with at-grade intersections and property accesses, both in rural and urban areas.

Route

This is the route that SH3 takes in 2007.

Tunnel at the north end of the Awakino Gorge. There is another short tunnel near the top of Mt Messenger

The highway leaves SH1 at Hamilton, and initially heads south through farmland, passing through Te Awamutu. Sections of this stretch of the road are four-laned, but not divided carriageway. From Otorohanga it follows the valley of the Waipa River to Te Kuiti. The road then turns southwest through sparsely settled farmland, crossing several ridges before following the Awakino gorge to reach the coast, which it follows around the North Taranaki Bight. At the Tongaporutu River the highway turns inland to avoid coastal cliffs and climbs over Mount Messenger before descending via the Mimi River valley to return to the coast near Urenui. Bypassing Waitara, it reaches New Plymouth then turns inland, passing to the east of Mount Taranaki via Inglewood, Stratford and Eltham to Hawera.

From Hawera the highway follows the coast of the South Taranaki Bight southeastwards to Patea and Wanganui before meeting State Highway 1 again at Bulls. Highways 1 and 3 share their route for 6 km as they cross the Rangitikei River to Sanson, where Highway 3 continues southeast towards Palmerston North. After crossing the Manawatu River, the route follows its south bank through the Manawatu Gorge to its terminus and junction with State Highway 2 at Woodville in the Wairarapa.

Both the Awakino and Manawatu gorges are prone to closure by slips and rockslides in heavy rain.

Route changes

Construction of a bypass of Bell Block, a satellite town of New Plymouth, was completed in 2010.

State Highway 3 spurs

SH3 has one spur, designated State Highway 3A. This 15.6 km stretch links State Highway 3 just west of Waitara to Inglewood, providing a shortcut and bypass of New Plymouth.

Major Junctions

Territorial authority	Location	km	Destinations	Notes
Hamilton City	Melville	0	SH 1/Thermal Explorer Highway north (Kahikatea Drive) Auckland	SH 3 begins
			(Ohaupo Road) Hospital
		1	SH 3 (Normandy Ave) City Centre, Rotorua	to SH 1/Thermal Explorer Highway south
Waipa District	Hamilton Airport	10	SH 21 (Airport Road) Airport, Mystery Creek
Otorohanga District	Otorohanga		SH 31/SH 39 (Te Kanawa Street) Kawhia, Ngaruawahia	Alternative route to Auckland, bypassing Hamilton
Waitomo District	Hangatiki	65	SH 37 (Waitomo Caves Road) Waitomo Caves
	Te Kuiti	76	SH 30 (Awakino Road) Rotorua, Taupo
	Eight Mile Junction	88	SH 4 Taumarunui, National Park
New Plymouth District	Brixton	229	SH 3A (Mountain Road) Inglewood, Wanganui	Alternative route to Southern Taranaki, bypassing New Plymouth
	New Plymouth	240	SH 44 (Eliot Street) Port
			SH 45 (Leach Street/Courtenay Street) City Centre, Opunake
	Inglewood	258	SH 3A (Rata Street) Hamilton	Alternative route to Hamilton, bypassing New Plymouth
Stratford District	Stratford	279	SH 43 (Regan Street) Taumarunui
South Taranaki District	Hawera	310	SH 45 (Surf Highway) Opunake
Wanganui District	Wanganui	402	Whanganui River
	Putiki		SH 4 (Putiki Drive) City Centre, National Park
Rangitikei District	Bulls	445	SH 1 (High Street) Taupo	SH 1/SH 3 concurrency begins
		447	Rangitikei River
Manawatu District
	Sanson	450	SH 1 (Wellington Road) Wellington	SH 1/SH 3 concurrency ends
	Newbury	468	SH 54 (Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road) Feilding
Palmerston North City	Ashhurst	488	Manawatu River
			SH 57 (Fitzherbert East Road) Levin
Tararua District		495	Manawatu River
	Woodville	500	SH 2/Classic NZ Wine Trail north (Vogel Street) Napier	SH 3 ends
			SH 2/Classic NZ Wine Trail south (McLean Street) Masterton, Wellington

See also

• List of New Zealand State Highways
• List of roads and highways, for notable or famous roads worldwide