Country guide
The best driving roads in New Zealand
All 15 driving roads in New Zealand on one interactive map, including 3 world icons, each with its route, climb and best seasons.
The five to build a trip around
Our ranking, icons first, with the reasoning on the table. All 15 roads follow below.
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1
10 mi22 minArthur’s Pass
The highest of the three roads over the Southern Alps, cresting at about 920 m before the main event: a 16 percent drop down the Otira Gorge on a 440-metre viaduct built because the old road kept sliding away.
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2
1,080 msummitCrown Range Road
New Zealand’s highest sealed through road between Queenstown and Wanaka.
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3
72 mi2 h 18 minMilford Road
Some 119 km from Te Anau through the glacier-carved Eglinton Valley, into the single-lane Homer Tunnel and down a 1-in-10 plunge to the fiord beneath Mitre Peak.
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4
32 mi1 h 10 minDanseys Pass Road
Remote tussock gravel pass over the Kakanui Mountains linking Naseby and the Waitaki.
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5
13 mi27 minThe 309 Road
Twisting gravel crossing of the Coromandel Range famed for its many bends and kauri grove.
The roads
Danseys Pass Road32 mi · 1 h 10 min · 917 m summitView the roadbook ›
Arthur’s Pass
Crown Range Road
Milford Road
The 309 Road
Lewis Pass
Coromandel Coast Road
Forgotten World Highway
Skippers Canyon Road
Takaka Hill
The Remarkables Ski Road
Lindis Pass
The Desert Road
Haast Pass
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