Today we leave for Taumarunui, following the Forgotten World Highway 43.
This route crosses four saddles, runs through the Moki Tunnel, is flanked by the railway line linking the two centres, and travels through the spectacular Tangarakau Gorge.
First up we travel back to Stratford, and after passing through green dairy country..
we reach the village of Douglas, below is the Douglas Brick Kiln, it closed in 1981 after turning local clay into bricks and tiles for over 60 years.
We then head over the Strathmore Saddle and on to Strathmore, where we turn off to go to "The Bridge to Somewhere". As we are towing this is a 2 hour plus return trip, on a very windy metal road.
First up we come to the Makahu Tunnel (opened 1907) , and then on to the Bridge.
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| The Tunnel |
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| Bess heading into the Tunnel |
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| In the middle of the Tunnel |
Finally made it to the Bridge..a substantial concrete bridge built in 1937 in an unlikely location.
This is the sister bridge to the even more isolated 'Bridge to Nowhere' on the Whanganui River.
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| Woohoo...the bridge!! |
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| Death!!!! |
so...we made it back to the main highway, and from here we head to Te Wera an early settlement and more recently the base for the 6500ha Te Wera Forest.
Next up is the Pohokura Saddle and then the Whangamomona Saddle.
Whangamomona: Valley of Plenty
First settled in 1895, Whangamomona was once a frontier town, but now there are only about 30 residents, and is now centered on the iconic Hotel. (The Hotel is for sale if you are interested)
Whangamomona declared itself a republic in 1989 complete with its own presidential election and passport.
Below are some photos of the rest of the town.
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| Butchers |
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| Bakers |
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| General Store |
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| Post Office |
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| Church |
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| Historic House |
compared to this ... beautiful..
... moving along we head to the final saddle at Tahora.
Next up is the single-lane 180m long Moki Tunnel which was built in 1936 and is known locally as the Hobbit's Hole.
..shortly after the tunnel is a detour which leads to a 20 minute walk to Mt Damper Falls.
Next we travel through the Tangarakau Gorge, onward past Joshua Morgans final resting place (Morgan died in1893 at the age of 35, he was one of the country's earliest surveyors) then on through Tatu past Nevins lookout..
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| Nevins Lookout |
...this is where my Dad and so many relatives are from.
Phew...what an exhausting day..found a great Motorcamp with the river on one side and a reserve on the other, we are staying here a couple of days, so at least we have a home for New Years.
Dinner tonight is from the Carriage Takeaways..
What a great Motor Camp, you can help yourself to fruit and veges, and herbs from the garden. Nothing is to much trouble.
There is free range eggs and Juliet!! Not to be eaten..
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| Juliet! |
Today we are heading off on a couple of 4WD trails in the forest and then on to the Ghost town of Ohura.
The first 4WD track was about 50kms, no damage done although Malcolm panicked for a moment when he thought we were going to roll when I swerved to miss a bird. Plenty of Goats and Sheep to be careful of as well..ended up in Ohura..
Ohura is 45 minutes from Taumarunui, all the shops are closed and only 165 people live there, it is known as the ghost town. We wandered the streets, not a sign of life until we ended up at the....
Ohura State Prison!!
You can spend the night here in the cells if you wish, we declined.
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After a cup of coffee with the Chief Warden we headed back to Taumarunui via the Okahukuru Saddle, this was a bit disappointing this was going to be our second 4WD trek of the day BUT its now all tarsealed, what gives.
Anyhow its New Years Eve and time to go back and relax with a few drinks.
1 January 2013
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Today we pack up and leave for Mangakino, just a short 2 hour trip, however over the hills the fog was so thick you could hardly see a thing..
On the other side the weather was beautiful, headed to Lake Maraetai where we are going to spend the night at the lakeside.
What an amazing spot, the weather was incredible, there were kayaks, waterskiers and swimmers on the lake the place was humming..
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| Early Misty Morning |
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| Glimpses of a Sunrise |
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| Paddle Boat on the Lake |
After doing a few trails for the rest of the day we headed back to Lake Maraetai for some cold ones.
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| End of the day |
Today we will start heading North, if we cannot find anywhere nice we want to stay we will head home.
3rd January 2013
...and we are home, a great trip and some places we would like to revisit.
Back to work next week... will write again soon.
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