SOUTHERN SCENIC ROUTE

Southern Scenic Route official logo

On Lake Te Anau

The 'Southern Scenic Route' is a in New Zealand linking Te Anau and Dunedin via Fiordland, Invercargill and The Catlins.

Contents
The route
History
Trivia
External links
References

The route


Invercargill Water Tower, taken from Leet St

The Southern Scenic Route follows a U-shaped route from Te Anau to Dunedin[1]. Skirting the eastern boundary of Fiordland National Park the route passes Manapouri and Tuatapere. At Te Waewae Bay the coast is reached and the route swings eastward towards Orepuki, Colac Bay and Riverton. At Lorneville the New Zealand State Highway network is joined and the Southern Scenic Route follows Highway 6 south into Invercargill.
Purakaunui Falls, 17 km (11 mi) southwest of Owaka.

From Invercargill the Southern Scenic Route heads east through Fortrose into the Catlins then through Owaka to Balclutha. The next section of rugged coastline with poor roading through Kaitangata is avoided as the Southern Scenic Route follows SH1 to Milton and Lake Waihola.
The Southern Scenic Route leaves the highway at Waihola and climbs through Otago Coast Forest rejoining the coastline at Taieri Mouth. From here the route follows secondary roads through Brighton and Green Island into Dunedin's southern suburbs, ending where it meets SH1 again at Caversham.

History


The Southern Scenic Route concept and name were conceived at an informal gathering in Tuatapere in November 1985 and confirmed at a public meeting in January 1986[2]. The promotors then negotiated with road and tourism authorities and local government.
The project was a first for New Zealand and approval was a slow process. At one stage, traffic signs were installed in a clandestine operation.
The Southern Scenic Route opened officially on 6 November 1988, initially Te Anau-Balclutha. The route was extended to Dunedin in 1998.

Trivia



★ The north-western terminus of the Southern Scenic Route at Te Anau is considerably further north than Dunedin, though usually viewed as in New Zealand's extreme south.

External links


Southern Scenic Route official website

References


1. route map on official website
2. Julie Walls (ed) ''Southern Scenic Route Visitor Publication'' 7ed, Focus Publications, Te Anau, November 2006


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