Farm sheds at Ahititi on the Forgotten World Highway © Rob Tucker
HEARTLAND RIDE • FORGOTTEN WORLD HIGHWAY CYCLE ROUTE
TOP TIP – This trail provides access to two Central North Island Great Rides, the Timber Trail and Mountains to Sea Trail, both accessible via other Connector Rides, the Timber Trail Connection, MTS Connection and the Ohura Connector.
FORGOTTEN WORLD HIGHWAY Cycle Route
BEST FOR: A traditional Kiwi way of life that has remained undisturbed for centuries.
TAUMARUNUI to NEW PLYMOUTH 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 and where remoteness is bathed in pristineness. MORE MOUNTAIN BIKING, PLEASE! • Cycle the mountain bike track along the Old Whangamōmona 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 complex with pump tracks, skills area, learners’ pad, two off-road courses and a velodrome. • Stratford Bike Park opened in 2022 and features a kid’s cycle track with a miniature replica Glockenspiel tower and working traffic lights.
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on’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 derrière! 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 Whangamōmona 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 New 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.
TRAIL INFO
2-3 Days 180km
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: Whangamōmona 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. GRADE 4 (ADVANCED)
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