Change of pace for Motutere
Motutere Bay TOP 10 Holiday Park manager Julia Hitchcock stands at the main entrance to the park. Photo: Dan Hutchinson
Roading authorities have decided to take another look at the 100km/h speed limit on a highway through a busy lake Taupō campground.
By Dan Hutchinson
Despite its otherwise peaceful ambience, the Motutere Bay village and Motutere Bay TOP 10 Holiday Park on Taupō’s eastern shore is split in half by State Highway 1, with guests having to cross the busy highway to get to the water’s edge.
Thanks to a change in Government policy, a previous lowering of the speed limit to 60km/h was reversed in May this year.
Now, motorists can travel the 4.31km section of SH1 between Halletts Bay and Motutere/Te Pōporo Bulli Point at 100 km/h.
The story doesn’t end there though, and public feedback is now being sought from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) on a proposed speed limit change on the short section of State Highway 1 (SH1) at Motutere, south of Taupō.
The proposal is to put in a new speed limit of 60km/h on the 0.85km stretch of SH1 alongside the Motutere Holiday Park.
Andrew Corkill, NZTA’s director of regional relationships Waikato Bay of Plenty says the proposal follows considerable community concerns about safety especially for the large number of pedestrians in the area and the many vehicles turning and stopping there.
“NZTA has received a considerable amount of feedback from the local community, iwi, Taupō District Council, and freight operators that the 100km/h speed limit is not appropriate here.
“The holiday park straddles SH1, with many people crossing the state highway to access Lake Taupō. The nearby Motutere boat ramp is a popular access point to the lake and the area experiences consistent traffic throughout the year.”
The proposed 60km/h zone would cover the area from 700 metres north of Waitapu Road to 150 metres south of Waitapu Road, covering 425 metres either side of the Motutere Holiday Park entrance.
Motutere Bay TOP 10 Holiday Park manager Julia Hitchcock says when the speed limit was originally lowered to 60km/h, it had kept speeds down, but motorists were still using the strip of road to pass other cars.
She says the 100km/h limit was “crazy” and she hoped it was changed back again before the busy summer holiday season.
She says they have not had any serious incidents since the speed went back up to 100km/h but they have not experienced the busy season yet.
Traffic heading south through Motuture Bay has already been delayed by the winding section of road at Te Poporo – Bulli Pt.
“They come out of the bends and then they're sick of doing the 60km/h and so they'll overtake, not realising that there's big straights (south). They did use this as a passing lane when it was at 60km/h.”
She wasn’t sure why they couldn’t just use “common sense” and put the speed back to 60km/h like it is at all the other villages along that stretch of highway.
Corkill says the new rules are very prescriptive in how speed limits are set and there is a requirement for further public consultation, which must be considered alongside economic impacts and technical safety assessments.
Consultation on the proposed speed limit change is now open (6 October 2025). Have your say at nzta.govt.nz/waikatospeed