Key facts
- Fact 01
A 30km/h speed restriction applies on SH6 between Garston and Kingston from 7am to 5:30pm on those days.
- Fact 02
The SH6 Garston to Kingston works are pavement repairs, and NZTA lists no alternative route.
- Fact 03
NZTA lists stop/go and a 30km/h limit on SH94 between Te Anau and The Key over the same days, 7am to 5:30pm.
- Fact 04
Destination Fiordland allows about 2 hours to drive the 170km from Queenstown to Te Anau.
NZTA has scheduled pavement repairs on State Highway 6 between Garston and Kingston from Monday 16 November to Saturday 21 November 2026. Between 7am and 5:30pm each day there will be stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed restriction, and NZTA asks drivers to plan their journey and allow extra time for travel. We read NZTA's road event record at 6:44am on Saturday 14 November; it was last updated at 10:36am on Thursday 12 November, and the road details below come from it.
The record lists no alternative route, so traffic keeps moving through the work site under stop/go control rather than being diverted. It does not say how long each hold will be.
Destination Fiordland says access to Te Anau from Queenstown is via State Highway 6 and State Highway 94, and allows about 2 hours for the 170km drive. The same NZTA feed lists matching pavement repairs on State Highway 94 between Te Anau and The Key, with stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h limit from 7am to 5:30pm over the same six days, Monday 16 to Saturday 21 November.
If your drive from Queenstown to Te Anau or on to Milford Sound takes SH6 through Kingston and Garston between 16 and 21 November, add some extra time to a daytime trip, or plan to pass outside the 7am to 5:30pm work hours NZTA lists. Our Queenstown to Milford Sound planner covers the whole drive, and our Te Anau things to do guide has ideas if you stop overnight on the way.
Questions visitors are asking
Are there roadworks on SH6 between Kingston and Garston?
Yes. NZTA has scheduled pavement repairs on State Highway 6 between Garston and Kingston from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 November 2026. Between 7am and 5:30pm each day there will be stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit, and NZTA asks drivers to plan their journey and allow extra time.
Is there a detour around the Kingston roadworks?
No. NZTA's record for the State Highway 6 works between Garston and Kingston lists no alternative route, so traffic passes through the site under stop/go control. The works run from 7am to 5:30pm, Monday 16 to Saturday 21 November 2026, and NZTA asks drivers to allow extra time for travel.
Will roadworks slow the drive from Queenstown to Te Anau from 16 to 21 November?
They may. Destination Fiordland says the Queenstown to Te Anau drive uses State Highway 6 and State Highway 94. From 16 to 21 November, NZTA lists stop/go and a 30km/h limit between 7am and 5:30pm on SH6 between Garston and Kingston and on SH94 between Te Anau and The Key.