State Highway 79 (New Zealand)

State Highway 79 (SH 79) is a New Zealand state highway connecting the South Canterbury communities of Rangitata, Geraldine, and Fairlie. Starting at State Highway 1 the highway is 61 kilometres in length and runs in a general east-west direction. 6.3 km of the highway through Geraldine runs concurrently with the Inland Scenic Route (), formerly State Highway 72. The road is a two-lane single carriageway, with a one-lane bridge crossing the Orari River.

State Highway 79
Route information
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency
Length61.0 km (37.9 mi)
Major junctions
East end SH 1 (Orari-Rangitata Highway) at Rangitata
West end SH 8 (Main Street/Mount Cook Road) at Fairlie
Location
Primary
destinations		Geraldine
Highway system
← SH 78→ SH 80

It is an important tourist highway, and forms part of the most direct route between Christchurch and the Mackenzie Country, Aoraki / Mount Cook and Queenstown/Wanaka.

Route
SH 79 passing through Geraldine

The highway starts on the Canterbury Plains and proceeds in a north-westerly direction. The highway then intersects with the Inland Scenic Route and crosses the Orari River. The highway then veers to the south and arrives in Geraldine. In the town centre, SH 79 turns right and passes through the southern sections of the township before veering to the west towards the foothills. The road gradually passes through sections of pine forest and farmlands and is generally hilly and curvy in some spots before descending into the township of Fairlie.[1]

Major intersections
Territorial authorityLocationkmjctDestinationsNotes
Timaru DistrictRangitata0 SH 1 north – Ashburton, Christchurch
SH 1 south – Temuka, Timaru		SH 79 begins
9 Inland Scenic Route (Geraldine-Arundel Road) – Methven, Mount Hutt Ski AreaSH 79/Inland Scenic Route (Regional Route 72) concurrency begins
Orari River
Geraldine15 Inland Scenic Route (Talbot Street) – Winchester, TimaruSH 79/Inland Scenic Route (Regional Route 72) concurrency ends
Mackenzie DistrictFairlie61 SH 8 east – Timaru
SH 8 west – Tekapo, Aoraki / Mount Cook		SH 79 ends

See also

References
  1. State Highway 79 on Google Maps


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