The 4 lane motorway of Transmission Gully, surrounded by green hills.

An impressive motorway, 100 years in the making, in and out of the capital.

Te Aranui o Te Rangihaeata, Transmission Gully, is a 27-kilometre, four-lane motorway north of Wellington. It is part of State Highway 1, the longest and most significant road in New Zealand. 

The first roading project in the country to be constructed on behalf of the government as part of a public-private partnership, it opened in 2022. The first known proposal roughly resembling the road was put forward in 1919.

It was an incredibly complex and expensive project. But is now known as a safe, modern, and reliable route in and out of the capital. 

It is a smooth and scenic drive, through undulating farmland, forest, and scrub.

The gully’s name comes from the 110,000-volt transmission line between Wellington and Mangahao Power Station in Shannon, laid in 1924.

Location details

Jurisdiction Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency
Permits required Yes, apply for a permit
Location descriptors Bridges, freeways, motorways, roads, urban, straight roads, open roads, junctions, intersections, transport networks, highways, infrastructure, roundabouts.

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