State Highway 4 (New Zealand)

State Highway 4 is the shortest of New Zealand's eight national highways. It runs north-south across rugged hill country, forming a short cut between two points on State Highway 3 thereby avoiding Taranaki and the coasts of the North and South Taranaki Bights. Distances are measured from north to south.

State Highway 4
Route information
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency
Length237 km (147 mi)
Major junctions
North end SH 3 at Eight Mile Junction (11 km (6.8 mi) south of Te Kuiti)
South end SH 3 at Whanganui
Location
Primary
destinations		Taumarunui, National Park, Raetihi
Highway system
← SH 3→ SH 5

For most of its length SH4 is a two-lane single carriageway, with at-grade intersections and property accesses, both in rural and urban areas. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) classifies SH 4 as a primary collector road, except between National Park (SH 47) and Tohunga Junction (SH 49) where it is classified an arterial road.[1]

Route

The highway commences from a junction on SH 3 11 km south of Te Kuiti. It heads south-southeast, climbing initially, then descending along the winding valleys of the Ōhura and Ongarue Rivers, two tributaries of the Whanganui. The Ongarue joins the Whanganui close to Taumarunui, and here the highway turns east briefly, ascending the Whanganui's valley before turning south to skirt the North Island Volcanic Plateau. The peaks of the plateau's volcanoes are clearly visible from the highway, especially that of the southernmost, Ruapehu.

At Horopito the highway veers southwest briefly, following a tributary of the Mangawhero River until it joins with this river near Raetihi. The highway continues to descend the Mangawhero's valley to within 40 km of its mouth, then heads west across rolling hill country to the valley of the Whanganui River, which it follows for the last 15 km of its journey into Whanganui.

Major junctions
Territorial authorityLocationkmDestinationsNotes
Waitomo DistrictEight Mile Junction0 SH 3 north – Hamilton
SH 3 south – New Plymouth		SH 4 begins
Ruapehu DistrictTaumarunui70 SH 43 (Kururau Road) – Stratford
74Whanganui River
Manunui77 SH 41 – Turangi
National Park114 SH 47 – Turangi
Tohunga Junction140 SH 49 – Ohakune, Waiouru
Whanganui DistrictPutiki237 SH 3 north – Whanganui, New Plymouth
SH 3 south – Palmerston North		SH 4 ends

See also

References
  1. "One Network Road Classification: North Island State Highways" (PDF). New Zealand Transport Agency. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
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