State Highway 83 (New Zealand)

State Highway 83
State Highway 83
Route information
	Maintained by NZ Transport Agency
Length	109.4 km (68.0 mi)
Major junctions
From	SH 8 (Omarama Avenue) at Omarama
To	SH 1 (Hilderthorpe Pukeuri Road/Pukeuri Oamaru Road) at Pukeuri
Location
Country	New Zealand
Primary; destinations	Otematata, Kurow, Duntroon.
Highway system
	New Zealand state highways; Motorways and expressways; List;

State Highway 83 (SH 83) is a South Island state highway in New Zealand running up the Waitaki Valley between the settlements of Pukeuri and Omarama. It forms part of the southernmost of the east–west roads crossing the South Island (via Haast Pass).

Route

Since designation, this is the route SH 83 takes.

As Chain Hills Highway, it begins in Omarama and passes through most of the settlement in an easterly direction. Leaving Omarama, the road changes name to Omarama Otematata Road. The road then runs along the banks of the Ahuriri Arm of Lake Benmore and descends into the township of Otematata (turnoff for the Benmore Dam). After Otematata, the road then passes along the southern banks of Lakes Aviemore and Waitaki as well as their respective dams.

The road emerges on the upper Waitaki River floodplain and enters the township of Kurow. Beyond Kurow, the road is all but flat and runs along the southern flanks of the floodplains as well as through Duntroon and Georgetown before crossing a low saddle to descend into Pukeuri.