Heretaunga Street

Heretaunga Street (Māori pronunciation: [hɛɾɛˈtɑːʉŋa]) is the main east-west arterial road through Hastings City in New Zealand.

Road size

It starts in Havelock North where it goes under the name Havelock Road, and runs for 2.3 km (1.43 Miles) until it officially goes by the name Heretaunga Street; it then runs for another 1.8 km (1.1 mi) until it stops at Russell Street where the railway line runs through the city and through the city's fountain. Then the street continues for another 120 Metres (390 feet) as a traffic-free road, where the road is a large public footpath, tree garden and café seating area. Then, from Railway Road for another 1.56 km (0.97 mi) as Heretaunga Street. Then at the area known as Stortford Lodge, at a road called Maraekakaho Rd, a ring road then changes the name to Omahu Road, where it continues for another 6.75 km (4.19 mi) where it reaches State Highway 50 at a place called Omahu, hence the name of the street. In total Heretaunga Street runs for 12.75 km (7.92 mi) from Omahu near Flaxmere to Havelock North, but the road only runs for 3.7 km (2.3 mi) under its proper name.

The road is on average two lanes wide (one northbound & one southbound) and has a large parking shoulders on either side. The road (including sidewalk and not including houses) has an average width of approximately 19.2 meters.

Traffic

Hawke's Bay has a lower population for its size and is not very prone to traffic problems. The gridiron plan of central Hastings lets traffic move easily. The pedestrian strip near the centre of the city makes parking down Heretaunga Street generally very challenging, as there is no major parking lot or a parking garage nearby. Heretaunga Street favours roundabouts, as there are 14 of them crossing intersections, compared to only two sets of traffic lights.

Importance as a road

Heretaunga Street is known as the biggest of the main North-South arteries in Hastings, being the only one that goes straight from Flaxmere to Havelock North. The road is also the only one that runs through the middle of the Central Business Districts and is home to much of Hastings' commerce and trade, where at the centre of the Street, at the CBD it is a 2.2 kilometre shopping strip, and at the very centre in the town fountain and clock tower is a pedestrian-only section where large stores meet cafés, restaurants and tall office blocks. This is generally known as the 'downtown' or 'central city' of Hastings.

Coordinates: 39°38′32″S 176°50′37″E / 39.642318°S 176.843573°E