State Highway 26 (New Zealand)
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi | ||||
| Length | 96 km (60 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Southwest end |  SH 1 (Waikato Expressway) near Hamilton | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| Northeast end |  SH 25 (Ngati Maru Highway) at Kopu | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | New Zealand | |||
| Major cities | Morrinsville, Te Aroha, Paeroa | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 26 (SH 26) is a state highway in the North Island of New Zealand, linking Hamilton with the Coromandel Peninsula. It starts from the Waikato Expressway at Ruakura on the eastern outskirts of Hamilton and travels 96 kilometres to Kopu, 6 kilometres south of Thames. It passes through Morrinsville, Te Aroha and Paeroa.
Major intersections
| Territorial authority | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waikato District / Hamilton City boundary | Ruakura | SH 1 north (Waikato Expressway) – AucklandSH 1 south (Waikato Expressway) – Rotorua, Taupō | SH 26 begins | ||
| Waikato District | Newstead | 6 | 3.7 |  SH 1B north (Marshmeadow Road) – Taupiri | SH 26/SH 1B concurrency begins |
| 7 | 4.3 | SH 1B south (Hoeka Road) – Cambridge | SH 26/SH 1B concurrency ends | ||
| Matamata-Piako District | Tatuanui | 35 | 22 |  SH 27 north – AucklandSH 27 south – Matamata, Tīrau | |
| Hauraki District | Paeroa | 69 | 43 |  SH 2 south (Normanby Road) – Tauranga | SH 26/SH 2 concurrency begins |
| 69 | 43 | SH 2 north (Normanby Road) – Auckland | SH 26/SH 2 concurrency ends | ||
| Thames-Coromandel District | Kopu | 95 | 59 |  SH 25A (Kopu-Hikuai Road) – Tairua, Whitianga, Whangamatā | |
| 96 | 60 | SH 25 west/Pacific Coast Highway – AucklandSH 25 north/Pacific Coast Highway – Thames, Coromandel Township | SH 26 ends | ||
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Route changes
When the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway opened in July 2022, the western terminus of SH 26 was rerouted from its old terminus on Cambridge Road in Hillcrest to Ruakura Road to connect to the new location of SH 1 in a full diamond interchange.[1][2]
Spurs
- State Highway 26A is a short spur, running along Morrinsville Road from State Highway 26 at Newstead to State Highway 1C at Hillcrest.[3]
See also
References
- ^"Waikato Expressway: Hamilton section project update - November 2015"(PDF). NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^"Hamilton section of Waikato Expressway open to traffic". NZ Transport Agency. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^"SH26A Morrinsville Road speed review". Waka Kotahi. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
External links
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