5 minute read
FORGOTTEN WORLD HIGHWAY Cycle Route
BEST FOR: A traditional Kiwi way of life that has remained undisturbed for centuries.
TAUMARUNUI to NEW PLYMOUTH
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2-3 days/180km
With a name as intriguing as the Forgotten World, how could you not be interested? Discover a pocket of Aotearoa that is little influenced by outside distractions; a place where history seems to beat with more pulse than the present and where remoteness is bathed in pristineness.
Don’t be fooled by the immediate seclusion; even though your route, the SH 43, feels like the quietest state highway in New Zealand, this trail is by no means a doddle. Constant hills with a total ascent of 2017m, rugged farmland and gravel roads will exhaust both your bike tyres – and your derriere! You’re in for a demanding Grade 4 challenge from beginning to end.
Highlights along the way include historic tunnels, some with wooden gabled roofs and ceilings lined with fossilised shellfish; the remote township of Whangamomona which is its own republic (complete with passport stamp) as well as challenging saddles and a sense of total abandonment.
Here you can fully detach yourself from the real world, and while you will be travelling mostly by road, keep an ear out for vehicles and an eye out for rambling goats!
Finally, the award-winning Plymouth Coastal Walkway brings civilisation back into cognisance, forging a route into New Plymouth proper, but not before dazzling new arrivals with its epic surf and kinetic artwork.
Mangamāhoe © Rach Stewart
TRAIL INFO
TRAIL GRADES: ALL GRADE 4 (ADVANCED)
TAUMARUNUI TO TAHORA SADDLE, 77KM
TAHORA SADDLE TO PŪRANGI, 45KM
PŪRANGI TO NEW PLYMOUTH, 63KM
MOBILE PHONE COVERAGE: Coverage is very limited along most of the route.
DRINKING WATER: Whangamomona offers the only easily accessed water once en route.
TYPE OF BIKE: Although the route mainly follows sealed roads, the rougher gravel sections mean a touring bike or mountain bike with wide road tyres or knobbly tyres are most suitable. E-bikes, with sufficient battery capacity, are also acceptable.
Riding the trail
TAUMARUNUI TO TAHORA SADDLE, 77KM
From Taumarunui, SH 43 heads over hilly farmland for 30km or so before climbing over Paparata Saddle. It then drops down into the beautiful Tāngarākau Gorge, cloaked in native forest.
This is followed by 12km of gravel road. Although this is relatively smooth, it’s not always an easy ride on road bike tyres, especially when the road has just been graded.
Beyond the gorge there is a moderate climb to the Moki Tunnel (known locally as the Hobbit’s Hole) and over Tahora Saddle.
TAHORA SADDLE TO PŪRANGI, 45KM
It’s a long and gentle downhill ride to the settlement of Whangamomona. Not only charming and full of rural history, it stakes a claim as New Zealand’s only independent republic, and celebrates that fact every second January.
Heading south from the ‘republic’, the route turns off the state highway and heads west on Junction Rd. The first 16km of Junction Rd is gravel, and requires wide road tyres or mountain-bike tyres.
Junction Rd passes through several original settlements, including Pūrangi, where accommodation is available in the original schoolhouse. The road is narrow, quiet and scenic. You will need to watch out for goats, sheep and cattle wandering along the verge.
PŪRANGI TO NEW PLYMOUTH, 63KM
The route continues over Tarata Saddle, through another picturesque tunnel, and down to a historic suspension bridge across the Waitara River.
The ride leaves the very best for last, as the route now becomes a shared path through Bell Block and around the coast where you will enjoy some spectacular views as you head into New Plymouth.
Known as the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, this award-winning 12.7km pathway winds along the edge of the Tasman Sea, past epic surf breaks and dynamic kinetic art. You can take a 15-minute stroll from the central city to Breakwater Bay, a bustling coastal precinct alongside Ngāmotu Beach.
New Plymouth has plenty to offer the visitor, including Egmont National Park, surfing, a boat cruise out to the Sugar Loaf Islands, plus dining and shopping in the bustling urban centre. Breakwater Bay is also a great spot to see a stunning west coast sunset.
Forgotten World Highway Cycle Route © Getty Images
Highlights of the trail
• Taumarunui is your gateway to Whanganui National Park and home to excellent kayaking. Trout fishing is world -famous, and Lauren’s Lavender Farm is as pretty as it sounds.
• Trundle down the Forgotten World Railway in a self-driven rail cart with Forgotten World Adventures. These easy-tohandle golf-style carts venture into abandoned tunnels on full or half-day excursions.
• The amusing town of Whangamomona has been its own republic since 1988, complete with an elected President, which has included a poodle, a goat and a turtle. Visitors can get their passport stamped in the local pub, the Whangamomona Hotel.
• There are several tunnels along the track but Moki Tunnel is the best known. Also called the ‘Hobbit’s Hole’, this is where you’ll find giant fossilised crabs on the ceiling.
• Built in 1897 and restored a handful of times since, the Bertrand Road Suspension Bridge crosses Waitara River, with its 19th century aesthetics proudly maintained.
• Can you find the Ōhura yurt? You’ll have to take a detour off the track to the tiny town of Ōhura, but secret yurt stays reward the curious.
• The Wind Wand is a kinetic sculpture designed by Len Lye, and features on the beautiful, 12.7km New Plymouth Coastal Walkway.
• New Plymouth invites guests to explore its freeentry museums, acclaimed surf beaches, the esteemed Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (also free to peruse) and exceptional coastline.
Whangamomona © AATP
More mountain biking, please
• Cycle the mountain bike track along the Old Whangamomona Rd to the Bridge to Somewhere (sister bridge to the Bridge to Nowhere).
• Lake Mangamāhoe Mountain Bike Park sits on the southern edge of New Plymouth with tracks ranging from easy to advanced.
• Taranaki Cycle Park is a purpose-built bike complex featuring pump tracks, a skills area, learners’ pad, two off-road courses and a 333m Velodrome.
