The Great South Road is a major arterial road on the Auckland isthmus and South Auckland. Originally the northern section of the earliest highway between Auckland and Wellington, in the North Island of New Zealand, the road was the main route connecting Auckland to Hamilton. Many former sections of the road have been integrated into the Waikato Expressway. Currently four sections of the road remain: Epsom to Bombay in Auckland, the main street in Pōkeno, the former route of State Highway 1 that links the towns of Huntly, Taupiri, Ngāruawāhia and Horotiu, and the main road in Ōhaupō.
History
Many sections of Great South Road were constructed on ara hīkoi; traditional walking paths used by Tāmaki Māori. The first sections of Great South Road were constructed in 1843. In 1851, the Tāmaki Bridge was constructed between Ōtāhuhu and Papatoetoe, opening up the south for greater development. By 1855, the road had reached as far south as Drury, from which a track led towards the Waikato River. In 1861, Governor George Grey ordered the construction of the Great South Road further into the Waikato, to improve supply lines through swampy and thickly forested country, prior to the Invasion of the Waikato. The road was constructed by British Army troops, including Dominic Jacotin Gamble, and provided a flow of supplies for the Waikato campaign. Queen's Redoubt at Pōkeno was a major base of operations for soldiers working on constructing the road. Approximately 12,000 soldiers were involved in the construction over two years.
Redoubts were constructed along the road for protection. St John's Redoubt was constructed in 1863 but never saw any engagement and the redoubt was abandoned shortly after in 1864.
Toll booths were set up along the road in 1866 at Newmarket, Ōtāhuhu and Drury in order to pay for upkeep costs of the Great South Road. Travellers along the Great South Road complained about the excessive cost of these tolls, which were abolished in 1875. After the wars, more peaceful uses predominated, and the road became the main social and commercial link to the growing agricultural areas south of Auckland.
Much of the road between Newmarket and Drury was laid in concrete in the 1920s, up to one foot thick. The road was later covered with asphalt. Originally, the road was marked by milestones, but these are now all believed lost, although there is a ‘22 mile’ milestone marker outside Drury School, in Drury. The Auckland Southern Motorway has largely superseded Great South Road as a through route, but many parts of the road are still in use, particularly the urban sections.
Route The road begins in the central Auckland suburb of Epsom, then passes through the suburbs of Greenlane, Penrose, Ōtāhuhu, Papatoetoe, Manukau, Manurewa and Papakura. Leaving the urban sprawl, it heads south through Drury before terminating at Mill Road in Bombay and merging with the Waikato Expressway. Historically it continued, over the Bombay Hills, and followed the east bank of the Waikato River until crossing it at Ngāruawāhia. A section of State Highway 3 through Ōhaupō retains the road's southernmost extension.
Duplicate addresses Along the 42 km of road, there are many instances of duplicate addresses. The address numbering restarts six times, being differentiated in Google Maps by suburb. For example there are five "1 Great South Road" addresses.
Major intersections Local Board Suburb km jct Destinations Notes Albert-Eden Epsom 0.0 Manukau Road – Royal Oak, Onehunga Alpers Avenue – City Centre Broadway – Newmarket St Marks Road 1.1 Market Road (east) – Remuera Market Road (west) – Mount Eden Greenlane 2.3 Green Lane East – RemueraGreen Lane West – Western Springs 2.7 Woodbine Avenue 2.8 Campbell Road – Royal Oak Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ellerslie 2.9 Main Highway – Ellerslie 3.6 Rockfield Road 3.9 Central Park business park Penrose 4.1 Ellerslie Panmure Highway – Ellerslie 4.8 Station Road East – Penrose 5.5 Penrose Road – Mount Wellington 6.4 South Eastern Highway – Mount Wellington, Pakuranga Church Street – Onehunga, Royal Oak 6.6 Church Street East 7.1 Southdown Lane Mount Wellington 7.5 Sylvia Park Road – Mount Wellington 7.9 Vestey Drive 8.8 Portage Road (east) – Mount Wellington Portage Road (west) – Māngere, Manukau City Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Ōtāhuhu 9.4 Albion Road Huia Road 9.5 Princes Street 9.8 Avenue Road Mason Avenue 10.1 Atkinson Avenue High Street 10.8 Mangere Road – Māngere, Middlemore Hospital, Airport Ōtara-Papatoetoe Papatoetoe 11.8 Bairds Road – Ōtara, MIT 13.0 Shirley Road 13.2 East Tamaki Road – Ōtara, East Tāmaki 13.3 Kolmar Road 13.5 Sutton Crescent 13.9 Tui Road St George Street Manukau 15.4 Reagan Road Puhinui Road – Airport 15.9 Ryan Place 16.1 Te Irirangi Drive – Howick Cavendish Drive – Airport 16.2 Southpoint retail park 16.4 Ronwood Avenue 16.8 Redoubt Road Manukau Station Road – Manukau City Centre Former SH 20 17.0 Lakewood Court Manurewa Wiri 17.2 from 18.0 Kerrs Road Manurewa 18.8 Orams Road – Totara Heights Browns Road – Homai 20.2 Hill Road 20.3 Station Road 20.6 Alfriston Road – Alfriston, Clevedon Weymouth Road – Clendon, Homai 21.8 Mahia Road – Wattle Downs, Clendon Papakura Takanini 22.3 – Auckland 22.6 – Hamilton 23.0 Manuroa Road Beaumaris Way 23.5 Taka Street Walter Strevens Drive 24.2 Glenora Road 24.3 The Furlong 24.7 Walters Road Inlet Road Longford Park Drive 25.1 Waka Street Papakura 26.1 Subway Road 26.3 O'Shannessey Street 26.4 Queen Street 26.5 Broadway Elliot Street 26.9 Wood Street 27.1 Wellington Street Ōpaheke 27.7 Settlement Road Beach Road Drury 31.4 Waihoehoe Road Norrie Road 32.0 – Hamilton begins 32.2 – Auckland Franklin Bombay 42.5 Mill Road 42.9 – Hamilton
See also New Zealand state highway network
References
External links NZ Geographic article Dominic Gamble Soldier involved in road construction Manukau timeline