The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Chard Road in NZ
Chard Road is the name of a very demanding cliff drive located in the Otago region of New Zealand.
It’s a one lane gravel road running alongside the Kawarau river, through the scenic Kawarau Gorge. The road twists along the side of the mountain and has a sheer cliff drop of maybe fifty meters the entire way. The road is steep in parts, hitting a 9% of maximum gradient.
Starting and ending at the paved State Highway 6, the road is 17km (10.56 miles) long. It has very narrow parts, so proceed cautiously and pray that you won't encounter anyone coming the other way. In days gone it was part of the old main coach link between Queenstown and Cromwell. The road was built in 1866, suitable for horse and cart.
Pic: Poppy Owen