# Great South Road, New Zealand

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 | Destinations | Notes |
| Albert-Eden | Epsom | 0.0 | Manukau Road – Royal Oak, Onehunga Alpers Avenue – City Centre Broadway – Newmarket St Marks Road | |
| Albert-Eden | Epsom | 1.1 | Market Road (east) – Remuera Market Road (west) – Mount Eden | |
| Albert-Eden | Greenlane | 2.3 | Green Lane East – Remuera Green Lane West – Western Springs | |
| Albert-Eden | Greenlane | 2.7 | Woodbine Avenue | |
| Albert-Eden | Greenlane | 2.8 | Campbell Road – Royal Oak | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Ellerslie | 2.8 | Campbell Road – Royal Oak | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Ellerslie | 2.9 | Main Highway – Ellerslie | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Ellerslie | 3.6 | Rockfield Road | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Ellerslie | 3.9 | Central Park business park | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Penrose | 4.1 | Ellerslie Panmure Highway – Ellerslie | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Penrose | 4.8 | Station Road East – Penrose | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Penrose | 5.5 | Penrose Road – Mount Wellington | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Penrose | 6.4 | South Eastern Highway – Mount Wellington, Pakuranga Church Street – Onehunga, Royal Oak | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Penrose | 6.6 | Church Street East | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Penrose | 7.1 | Southdown Lane | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Mount Wellington | 7.5 | Sylvia Park Road – Mount Wellington | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Mount Wellington | 7.9 | Vestey Drive | |
| Maungakiekie-Tāmaki | Mount Wellington | 8.8 | Portage Road (east) – Mount Wellington Portage Road (west) – Māngere, Manukau City | |
| Māngere-Ōtāhuhu | Ōtāhuhu | 8.8 | Portage Road (east) – Mount Wellington Portage Road (west) – Māngere, Manukau City | |
| Māngere-Ōtāhuhu | Ōtāhuhu | 9.4 | Albion Road Huia Road | |
| Māngere-Ōtāhuhu | Ōtāhuhu | 9.5 | Princes Street | |
| Māngere-Ōtāhuhu | Ōtāhuhu | 9.8 | Avenue Road Mason Avenue | |
| Māngere-Ōtāhuhu | Ōtāhuhu | 10.1 | Atkinson Avenue High Street | |
| Māngere-Ōtāhuhu | Ōtāhuhu | 10.8 | Mangere Road – Māngere, Middlemore Hospital, Airport | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe | 11.8 | Bairds Road – Ōtara, MIT | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe | 13.0 | Shirley Road | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe | 13.2 | East Tamaki Road – Ōtara, East Tāmaki | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe | 13.3 | Kolmar Road | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe | 13.5 | Sutton Crescent | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe | 13.9 | Tui Road St George Street | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 15.4 | Reagan Road Puhinui Road – Airport | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 15.9 | Ryan Place | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 16.1 | Te Irirangi Drive – Howick Cavendish Drive – Airport | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 16.2 | Southpoint retail park | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 16.4 | Ronwood Avenue | |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 16.8 | Redoubt Road Manukau Station Road – Manukau City Centre | Former SH 20 |
| Ōtara-Papatoetoe | Manukau | 17.0 | Lakewood Court | |
| Manurewa | Wiri | 17.2 | from SH 1 (Southern Motorway) | |
| Manurewa | Wiri | 18.0 | Kerrs Road | |
| Manurewa | Manurewa | 18.8 | Orams Road – Totara Heights Browns Road – Homai | |
| Manurewa | Manurewa | 20.2 | Hill Road | |
| Manurewa | Manurewa | 20.3 | Station Road | |
| Manurewa | Manurewa | 20.6 | Alfriston Road – Alfriston, Clevedon Weymouth Road – Clendon, Homai | |
| Manurewa | Manurewa | 21.8 | Mahia Road – Wattle Downs, Clendon | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 22.3 | SH 1 north (Southern Motorway) – Auckland | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 22.6 | SH 1 south (Southern Motorway) – Hamilton | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 23.0 | Manuroa Road Beaumaris Way | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 23.5 | Taka Street Walter Strevens Drive | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 24.2 | Glenora Road | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 24.3 | The Furlong | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 24.7 | Walters Road Inlet Road Longford Park Drive | |
| Papakura | Takanini | 25.1 | Waka Street | |
| Papakura | Papakura | 26.1 | Subway Road | |
| Papakura | Papakura | 26.3 | O'Shannessey Street | |
| Papakura | Papakura | 26.4 | Queen Street | |
| Papakura | Papakura | 26.5 | Broadway Elliot Street | |
| Papakura | Papakura | 26.9 | Wood Street | |
| Papakura | Papakura | 27.1 | Wellington Street | |
| Papakura | Ōpaheke | 27.7 | Settlement Road Beach Road | |
| Papakura | Drury | 31.4 | Waihoehoe Road Norrie Road | |
| Papakura | Drury | 32.0 | SH 1 south (Southern Motorway) – Hamilton | SH 22 begins |
| Papakura | Drury | 32.2 | SH 1 north (Southern Motorway) – Auckland | |
| Franklin | Bombay | 42.5 | Mill Road | |
| Franklin | Bombay | 42.9 | SH 1 south (Waikato Expressway) – Hamilton | |