Winter scenic drive through Central Otago New Zealand on Highway 85
The winter scenic drive described in this article follows part of State Highway 85 in Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand and offers winter scenery with snow on trees, mountains, and farmland.
The entire State Highway 85 is approximately 160 km (99 mi) in length and runs from Alexandra in Central Otago to Palmerston just north of Dunedin.
The scenic drive described in this article is approximately 67 km in length and covers the first half of State Highway 85 running from Springvale Road to just past a turnoff to Oturehua.
Driving at about 80 to 100 km/h (50 to 62 mph) – the maximum speed limit on highways in New Zealand is 100 km/h (62 mph) – it would take approximately 2 hours to drive from Alexandra to Palmerston on State Highway 85.
But be aware that the road is not entirely straight, especially on the last stretch towards Palmerston, so allow for more time if you want to drive the entire route.
The stretch of road coming from Alexandra is pretty straight and goes up and down hills. It is a fairly easy drive. When I drove this road in winter, there was no snow on the road itself, but some parts had ice.
How to get to State Highway 85 in Central Otago
There are two ways to get to SH 85 from the west. You can either get onto it from Alexandra in Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand or you can take a shortcut (via Springvale Road) from State Highway 8 near Clyde.
State Highway 8 can be reached while driving from Queenstown to Cromwell via the Kawarau Gorge road or you can drive from Christchurch to Tekapo and then further down through Lindis Pass before you reach Cromwell and then Clyde or Alexandra.
If you’re coming from the east, you can drive north from Dunedin on State Highway 1 and then at Palmerston get onto State Highway 85. Or if you’re coming from Christchurch, you can drive south to Palmerston, and then get onto State Highway 85.
Basic info for the scenic drive on State Highway 85
| Driving distance: | 67 km (42 mi) |
| Driving time: | 30 – 40 minutes |
| Road type: | Sealed (paved) highways |
| Road condition: | Good; mostly smooth driving |
| Best time to drive: | Afternoon |
| What you’ll see: | Mountains, Hawkdun Range, farmland, small towns |
The following map shows the starting point (arrow with star) and end point (flag) for this scenic drive when driving from the junction of SH 85 and Springvale Road to just past the junction of SH 85 and the road to Oturehua in Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand. Use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out of the map to see more or less detail on the map.
Figure 1. Map of the winter scenic drive on State Highway 85 in Central Otago New Zealand.
Video of the State Highway 85 winter scenic drive
The following 4-minute video gives you a taste of what to expect on this scenic drive on State Highway 85 during winter in Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand.
Filed under Scenic Drives
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