That destination is the Tawhiti Museum which is quite simply the
best museum of any kind in the world, ever. I like museums, and frankly I don't
care what kind of exhibits they have, as long as they're awesome. Well, this
museum is about the history of the Taranaki region, and covers a lot of
maori/pakeha relations in the 19th century. It's situated in an old dairy
factory just outside of Hawera. Words cannot do justice to this fascinating
place – you’ll have to check their website and read the reviews. It’s open
every day in January, and on Sundays in the middle of winter. Check their
website for exact details.
First
things first. This route is best ridden from east to west, because it's mostly
downhill. Here's the map:
Taumarunui to Hawera via Ohura
Taumarunui
used to be a major railways town, but like most central North Island towns it’s
now a shadow of its former self. Much of the route along SH43 follows the old
railway line from Taumarunui to Stratford, which no longer carries trains – but
that doesn’t mean it’s completely unused…
Your options
for getting to Taumarunui are threefold. If you’re coming from the north by
bike, I recommend the Pureora Forest Timber Trail, which will take you to
Ongarue.
You can get
a train from Auckland or Wellington, but it’s pretty expensive and slow – but definitely
worth doing once, especially if you’ve never been to New Zealand before. Get off
at National Park, then zoom northwards down the hill into Taumarunui. And of
course, you can always catch an InterCity or NakedBus coach from pretty much
anywhere. This is always the cheapest option.
Okay, so the
first thing to know is that you should NOT begin by starting on SH43! The hills
for the first few kilometres are INSANE and no matter how fit you are and how
light your bike is, you will be pushing for HOURS (and the views aren't even that good). The best thing to do is leave
Taumarunui heading north on Golf Rd, which becomes the Ongarue Back Road. It’s
very pleasant riding. Go all the way to Ongarue itself – a settlement which
peaked around 1920 – or cut left after 10 Km onto Okahukura Saddle Rd. Either
way, you’re heading for Ohura.
Okahukura Saddle
Rd is sealed but is quite twisty. I like it, but if you want to go the whole 25
Km up to Ongarue then head down Ohura Rd, that’s probably a little easier and
less hilly. You’ll have to ride a few kilometres of SH4, but it’s not a big
deal. Ohura Rd from SH4 is lovely, a gentle winding descent that makes you feel
much fitter than you really are.
Ohura is the
quintessential Town that Time Forgot. It peaked in the 1950s. It once had a
population of around 3000, but now there are only about 150 people living
there. Most of the houses have been removed (which is common in NZ as houses
are generally made of wood). There’s not much there – no shops, for example –
but it did once have a prison there, which has been converted into a
backpackers. Check to see whether it’s open, as it has changed hands a few
times in recent years. Camping in or around Ohura should not be difficult –
just ask one of the locals for a suitable place to pitch your tent.
From Ohura,
head south back onto SH43. Congratulations, you’ve just skipped a MASSIVE hill
with this detour. From here, it’s a pretty straightforward run into Whangamomona.
It’s hilly, but there’s practically no traffic and the scenery’s lovely.
Whangamomona has a nice old pub and a commercial camping site. Along the way
you’ll go through the spectacular Takarau Gorge, which separates Ruapehu
district from Taranaki.
After
Whangamomona, the lands begins to flatten out into the marshy farmland of
Taranaki. Stratford is an actual town, with actual shops and everything. From
there, it’s a flat run to Eltham (also an actual, functioning town), Hawera and
the Tawhiti Museum.
From Hawera
you can take SH3 to Whanganui, but it’s a bit dull and there’s traffic, so when
I’ve done it, I’ve taken a bus from Hawera back to Wellington.
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