Ngauranga Gorge
Encyclopedia
The Ngauranga
Gorge is in the Wellington Region
of New Zealand
. State Highway 1
runs through the gorge, a vital link between Wellington City
and the Kapiti Coast
and the main route north out of Wellington. It is 2 kilometres long and has a grade of approximately 8%. 65,000 vehicles a day travel through it, and it connects the Wellington Urban Motorway
with the Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway. The road up the gorge was upgraded in 1940 as the Centennial Highway.
The Newlands Interchange, at the top of the gorge, was constructed in 1997/1998 to replace a simple junction, which caused a large amount of congestion.
The North Island Main Trunk Railway crosses the bottom of the gorge via an overbridge between the Tawa No 1 and Tawa No 2 Tunnels of the Tawa Flat deviation
.
There is an industrial area with some retail outlets at the bottom of the gorge, where there was previously an abattoir. There are an abattoir and quarry part way up the gorge.
The name is derived from the former Nga Hauranga Maori settlement at the foot of the gorge.
The two kilometre cycle up the gorge is a daily mini-endurance test for many cycle commuters at the end of their working day. However the steep downhill for undertaken by cycle commuters in the mornings represents a relatively dangerous and thrilling start to their day. Cyclists regularly exceed 90 kilometers per hour while vehicular traffic tends to remain around 80 kilometers per hour due to the presence of a speed camera situated part way down the gorge which is set at 80 km/h.
Ngauranga
Ngauranga is a suburb of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, in the lower North Island. Situated on the western bank of Wellington Harbour, it lies to the north of the centre of the city. It is a Maori name meaning "the landing place", and the original spelling was "Nga-Uranga"...
Gorge is in the Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. State Highway 1
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...
runs through the gorge, a vital link between Wellington City
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and the Kapiti Coast
Kapiti Coast
The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
and the main route north out of Wellington. It is 2 kilometres long and has a grade of approximately 8%. 65,000 vehicles a day travel through it, and it connects the Wellington Urban Motorway
Wellington Urban Motorway
The Wellington Urban Motorway, part of SH 1, is the major road into and out of Wellington, New Zealand. It is 7 km long, ranges from three to six lanes wide, and extends from the base of the Ngauranga Gorge into the Wellington CBD....
with the Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway. The road up the gorge was upgraded in 1940 as the Centennial Highway.
The Newlands Interchange, at the top of the gorge, was constructed in 1997/1998 to replace a simple junction, which caused a large amount of congestion.
The North Island Main Trunk Railway crosses the bottom of the gorge via an overbridge between the Tawa No 1 and Tawa No 2 Tunnels of the Tawa Flat deviation
Tawa Flat deviation
The Tawa Flat deviation is a double-track section of the North Island Main Trunk Railway just north of Wellington, New Zealand. It includes two tunnels, Tawa No. 1 and Tawa No. 2 , separated by the Ngauranga Gorge. No. 2 tunnel passes under Newlands and comes out at Glenside, on the way to Tawa...
.
There is an industrial area with some retail outlets at the bottom of the gorge, where there was previously an abattoir. There are an abattoir and quarry part way up the gorge.
The name is derived from the former Nga Hauranga Maori settlement at the foot of the gorge.
The two kilometre cycle up the gorge is a daily mini-endurance test for many cycle commuters at the end of their working day. However the steep downhill for undertaken by cycle commuters in the mornings represents a relatively dangerous and thrilling start to their day. Cyclists regularly exceed 90 kilometers per hour while vehicular traffic tends to remain around 80 kilometers per hour due to the presence of a speed camera situated part way down the gorge which is set at 80 km/h.