State Highway 51 (SH 51) is a New Zealand state highway that runs between Napier and Hastings via Clive. Known locally as the Coastal Route, it was the main route between the two cities prior to the completion of the Hawke's Bay Expressway.
History
The route that SH 51 follows is part of the original route between Napier and Hastings, and prior to 1 August 2019 formed part of .
Between the late 1960s and 2011, the nearby Hawke's Bay Expressway was constructed, providing a high-speed bypass of Napier and Hastings. As the expressway was constructed in seven sections over 43 years, it had three separate state highway numbers (SH 2B, and SH 50A), despite the expressway being a single length of road and being considered the spine of the Hawke's Bay roading network. This resulted in a confusing driving experience for motorists, made even more so when of SH 2 between the northern outskirts of Hastings and the southern terminus of the expressway at Pakipaki was revoked in 2005.
In 2019, an opportunity to renumber the Hawke's Bay state highways arose through the exchange of Meeanee Quay and Pandora Road in Napier (part of SH 2) becoming a local road under the authority of the Napier City Council, and nearby Prebensen Drive becoming a state highway under the authority of the New Zealand Transport Agency. On 1 August 2019, the renumbering took effect:
The entire Hawke's Bay Expressway became SH 2. SH 2B and SH 50A were revoked, while SH 50 continued to run over a section of the expressway, and was co-signed with SH 2 over this section. The former SH 2 between Napier and Hastings became SH 51, remaining a state highway alternative to the Hawke's Bay Expressway. Taradale Road, Hyderabad Road and Georges Drive, previously part of SH 50, also became part of SH 51, with SH 50 being shifted to run via Prebensen Drive.
The creation of SH 51 affected approximately 120 people and businesses with an address change along two sections of the route where the name of the road was the state highway number. Their addresses were automatically changed from State Highway 2 to State Highway 51 by New Zealand Post.
Route
SH 51 leaves the Hawke's Bay Expressway at a roundabout west of Napier. It initially heads to the north-east on Taradale Road, before following Hyderabad Road for a short distance. It then runs to the south of the Napier city centre along Georges Drive.
SH 51 then meets the Hawke's Bay coast and turns south. The route leaves Napier and follows the coast before heading inland at the Ngaruroro River estuary. It runs through the small town of Clive and passes to the east of Whakatu before turning towards Hastings at a roundabout at Mangateretere.
Approaching Hastings from the north-east, the SH 51 designation ends in the outskirts of Hastings at the Kenilworth Road intersection. The route continues into central Hastings as Karamu Road North.
Major intersections
Territorial authority Location km jct Destinations Notes Napier City Onekawa 0 – Taupō, Gisborne – Hastings<br/ > Classic New Zealand Wine Trail (Taradale Road) – Tamatea SH 51 begins Marewa 2.3 Palmerston North–Gisborne Line 2.4 Hyderabad Road – Port, Taupō, Gisborne, Tamatea To () 2.9 Thackeray Street – City Centre 3.0 Palmerston North–Gisborne Line Te Awa 5.1 Palmerston North–Gisborne Line Marine Parade – City Centre Awatoto 10.9 Tūtaekurī River Hastings District Pakowhai Clive 11.6 Ngaruroro River 13.4 Clive River 14.2 Mill Road – Haumoana, Te Awanga Mill Road provides a route to Cape Kidnappers from Napier Mangateretere 18.3 Pilcher Road – Waimārama, Haumoana<br/ >Napier Road – Havelock NorthWhakatu Arterial Link – Whakatu Pilcher Road provides a route to Cape Kidnappers from HastingsWhakatu Arterial Link provides a route to Waipatu 21.2 Kenilworth Road SH 51 endsRoute continues into central Hastings as Karamu Road North Mayfair
See also List of New Zealand state highways
References
External links New Zealand Transport Agency