New Plymouth to Auckland via Insane Back Roads

I like an adventure, and this section of the North Island’s West Coast always delivers. I’ve ridden bits of this route twice and I’m itching to go back again. Here’s a way to get between New Plymouth and Auckland – well, Pukekohe, but you can get a train to Auckland from there. It will take you through the picturesque town picturesque settlement of Kawhia and the pretty surf town of Raglan. There are lots of lovely gravel roads snaking through the bush, with almost no traffic. But take plenty of food and water and expect rain, because the west coast is like that.

You can ride this route in either direction, but I’ve chosen to begin at New Plymouth. This is Taranaki’s only city, a town built on Natural Gas. It has a lovely cycle way which takes you from the middle of town out east to Bell Block. New Plymouth is also home to the Govett-Brewster Gallery, which is the country’s prime repository of Len Lye’s kinetic art. Len Lye was a New Zealand artist about a hundred years ahead of his time and is totally worth checking out.

From Bell Block, you must follow State Highway 3 for a while til you’re a bit north of Mokau. Then you turn off onto Manganui Rd, which takes you on ancient gravel roads up to the turnoff to Waikawau. Waikawau is just a name on the map with nothing there, except for a hole cut in the rock which was used by the local farm to transport livestock and provisions into the farm by ship, before the road was put in. Given the state of the sea – almost always very rough, with black sand – this is quite an undertaking. It’s a bit of a detour, but well worth it for the crash-bang solitude of an empty West Coast beach. 

From Waikawau, keep on slogging until you reach Kawhia, where you’ll probably stay the night. There’s not a lot there – a campsite, a motel, a fish and chip shop and a bit of a jetty for boats. Very pretty, though. The route is hilly, but the lack of traffic and the scenery make up for it.

Next stop after Kawhia is Raglan, a very pretty town with an excellent point break, and so lots of surfers. Good cafes and restaurants, interesting locals. I once saw Shellac play at the Centennial Milk Bar in Raglan, which was a damn sight pleasanter experience than seeing them in a dive bar in Tottenham Court Road in London the year before.

After Raglan, you have various route options, all pretty much of a muchness. On the map I’ve included a slight detour to Waingaro Hot Springs, which has a small campsite attached. [I've just found out it's closed, but by the time you read this, who knows?] Eventually, after yet more hilly, twisty, gravel roads, you’ll reach Port Waikato. I’ve actually never been there, but it’s probably quite nice, in a small town sort of way. From Port Waikato, it’s an quick run up the Waikato River to Pukekohe, where you can catch a train into Auckland. Easy!

How to ride the Forgotten World Highway

State Highway 43, known for tourism purposes as the Forgotten World Highway, runs between Taumarunui in the central North Island and Stratford in Taranaki district. It's a great ride, but there are a few quirks it's good to know about, and a cracking destination at the end that's only open for a few months of the year.

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.