New Zealand State Highway 6
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NZ Transport Agency | ||||
| Length: | 1,162 km (722 mi) | |||
| Tourist routes: |
Southern Scenic Route  between Invercargill-Lorneville and Five Rivers-Queenstown (as of 2010) |
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| Major junctions | ||||
| North end: |
 SH 1 at Blenheim
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| South end: |
SH 1 at Invercargill
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| Location | ||||
| Primary destinations: |
Nelson, Murchison, Inangahua Junction, Runanga, Greymouth, Hokitika, Haast, Wanaka, Cromwell, Queenstown, Lumsden, Winton | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 6 is a major New Zealand state highway. It extends from the northeastern corner of the South Island across the top of the island, then down the length of the island, initially along the West Coast and then across the Southern Alps through inland Otago and finally across the Southland Plains to the island's south coast. Distances are measured from north to south.
The highway is the longest single highway in the country, though it is shorter than the combined totals of the two highways that comprise State Highway 1, SHs 1N and 1S.
For most of its length SH6 is a two-lane single carriageway, except for 5.4 km of dual carriageway in Invercargill, and passing lanes in Invercargill and Nelson, with at-grade intersections and property accesses, both in rural and urban areas. Roundabouts are common in major towns, with traffic signals only found in Invercargill, Queenstown, Richmond, and Nelson, with signals also controlling the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown and Fern Arch near Westport. NZTA classified the highway as an arterial route, except for two sections between Blenheim (SH 1) and Richmond (SH 60) and between Cromwell (SH 8B) and Five Rivers (SH 97) where SH 6 is classified as a regional strategic route.
The highway leaves SH1 at Blenheim, initially heading northeastward across the rugged hills at the base of the Marlborough Sounds. it reaches the sounds briefly at Havelock, then heads inland up the valley of the Pelorus River. At Pelorus Bridge the highway again turns north, then tends southwest as it approaches the coast of Tasman Bay. The highway travels through the city of Nelson and nearby town of Richmond, continuing southwest across the plains of the Wairoa and Motueka Rivers.
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Wikipedia