State Highway 27 (New Zealand)

State Highway 27 shield}}
State Highway 27
Map
Route information
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency
Length92.4 km (57.4 mi)
Major junctions
North end SH 2 at Mangatarata
Major intersections
South end SH 1 (Main Road) at Tīrau
Location
CountryNew Zealand
TownsWaharoa, Matamata
Highway system
← SH 26→ SH 28

State Highway 27 (SH 27) is a state highway in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an important north–south link along the Waihou/Piako valley and forms an important transport route across the mostly dairy farming Matamata-Piako District. SH 27, in conjunction with SH 2, is often used as an alternative route to SH 1 between Auckland and Tauranga, Rotorua and Taupō.

For its entire length, SH 27 is a single carriageway road with one lane in each direction and at-grade intersections and property access. The New Zealand Transport Agency classifies the highway as an arterial route.[1]

Traffic at Kaihere increased by 31%, from an average of 3,965 vehicles a day in 2008, to 5,182 in 2017[2] and 5,467 in 2019.[3] In 2017 982 (19%) of those were heavy vehicles, mainly trucks.[2]

The road was gravelled[4][5] and classified as No.19 Main Highway in 1926.[6]

  1. ^ "One Network Road Classification: North Island State Highways" (PDF). New Zealand Transport Agency. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "NZTA 2017 National Telemetry Site Traffic Profile" (PDF).
  3. ^ "State highway traffic monitoring – annual average daily traffic". maphub.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  4. ^ "MATAMATA COUNTY. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 10 April 1926. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  5. ^ "AROUND THE RIDINGS. WAIKATO INDEPENDENT". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 13 April 1926. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  6. ^ "MATAMATA RECORD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 6 December 1926. Retrieved 27 November 2021.