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New Zealand State Highway 43, also called the Forgotten World Highway, is a road that runs 148 km from Stratford in Taranaki to Taumarunui in the King Country. The road has a lot of interesting small towns on it including, Toko, Douglas, Te Wera, Pohukura, Strathmore, Whangamomona, Marco, Koruatahi, Tahora, Tatu and 10 km off the highway is Ohura. Driving the road takes up to 3 hours.
The highway goes through some rugged, beautiful countryside. It climbs three saddles, including the Strathmore Saddle, the Whangamomona Saddle and the Tahora Saddle. 14 km past Whangamomona is the Moki Tunnel, also known as Hobbit's Hole. Just before the Moki Tunnel is the turn off for the Mount Damper Falls, the 4th highest in the north island. In the 1920s the Stratford–Okahukura Line was built. Many of the ghost towns are from the railway days. Past Hobbit's Hole is the Tangarakau Gorge with walls just under 200 ft high. The road in the gorge is not sealed.
For my video; youtu.be/98N6w_lfolE
The road passes through small towns such as Toko, Douglas, Te Wera, Pohukura, Strathmore, Whangamōmona, Marco, Koruatahi, Tahora, Tatu, and 10 km off the highway is Ohura. In the 1920s the Stratford–Okahukura Line was built. Many of the ghost towns are from the railway days.
Driving the highway takes up to 3 hours, as it passes through rugged countryside. It climbs three saddles: the Strathmore Saddle, Whangamōmona Saddle, and Tahora Saddle. 14 km past Whangamōmona is the Moki Tunnel, also known as Hobbit's Hole. Near one end of the Moki Tunnel is the turn off for the Mount Damper Falls, the fourth-highest in the North Island, and past the other end is the Tangarakau Gorge, with walls just under 60m high.
Road bridge through Tangarakau Gorge and gravesite for surveryor beneath it, circa.1916
12 km (7.5 mi) of the road through Tarangakau Gorge is unsealed. This makes SH 43 the only state highway that currently has an unsealed section. There is also an unsealed section in the middle of SH 38, but that portion is not designated a state highway. A 2017 report stated that sealing the Tangarakau Gorge road would cost approximately $7m.[1] In December 2019, the government allocated funding to seal the final section of unsealed highway.
Kohuratahi, Taranaki, New Zealand
For my video; youtu.be/E3SfcLYwIMM,
native bush
Tangarakau, Taranaki, New Zealand
Alsophila dealbata, synonym Cyathea dealbata, commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga /ˈpɒŋə/ or punga /ˈpʌŋə/ (from Māori kaponga or ponga), is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand. The fern is usually recognisable by the silver-white colour of the under-surface of mature fronds. It is a symbol commonly associated with the country both overseas and by New Zealanders themselves.
80% of the trees, ferns and flowering plants are endemic (found only in New Zealand).
About 10–15% of the total land area of New Zealand is covered with native flora, from tall kauri and kohekohe forests to rainforest dominated by rimu, beech, tawa, matai and rata; ferns and flax; dunelands with their spinifex and pingao; alpine and subalpine herb fields; and scrub and tussock.
New Zealand State Highway 43, also called the Forgotten World Highway, is a road that runs 158 km from Stratford, New Zealand in Taranaki to Taumarunui in the King Country. The road has a lot of interesting Ghost Towns on it including, Toko, Douglas, Te Wera, Pohukura, Strathmore, Whangamomona, Marco, Koruatahi, Tahora, Tatu and 10 km off the highway is Ohura. The Highway goes through some rugged, beautiful countryside. It climbs three saddles including the Strathmore Saddle the Whangamomona Saddle and the Tahora Saddle. 14 km past Whangamomona is the Moki Tunnel also known as Hobbits Hole. Just before the Moki Tunnel is the turn off for the Mount Damper Falls, the 4th highest in the north island. In the 1920s the Stratford - Okahukura Line was being built. Many of the ghost towns are from the railway days. Past Hobbits Hole is the Tangarakau Gorge with walls just under 200 ft high, the road in the gorge is not tar sealed. The road takes up to 3 hours.
Another shot from along the the Forgotten Highway, Taranaki, New Zealand. You could almost here the banjos playing the in the hills.
Part of the Forgotten World Highway (State Highway 43), the single-lane Moki Tunnel (180m long) is something to remember!
Located within the Wanganui National Park to the east of Whangamomona, the tunnel is commonly known as the "Hobbit's Hole" (and a local has even hung a sign over the entrance stating thus!).
This historic, very narrow tunnel was constructed in 1935-1936 by the Public Works Department. It was hand-dug with picks and shovels...and two jack-hammers driven by a coal-fired steam compressor. While the tunnel was being dug, many unique fossils were found.
Originally the tunnel was 5m tall, but the tunnel’s floor was lowered in 1989 (to accommodate the height of modern freight trucks), increasing the tunnel’s height to 7m.
The Moki Tunnel is a fine example of the unusual and well-thought-out work completed by the road engineers and surveyors of early New Zealand. It has been appreciated by many travelers on the road, and is seen as one of the remote tourist attractions of Taranaki. Beyond the tunnel you delve into the scenic delights of the Tangarakau Gorge, where the road’s sealed surface becomes gravel.
New Zealand State Highway 43, also called the Forgotten World Highway, is a road that runs 158 km from Stratford, New Zealand in Taranaki to Taumarunui in the King Country. The road has a lot of interesting Ghost Towns on it including, Toko, Douglas, Te Wera, Pohukura, Strathmore, Whangamomona, Marco, Koruatahi, Tahora, Tatu and 10 km off the highway is Ohura.
The Highway goes through some rugged, beautiful countryside. It climbs three saddles including the Strathmore Saddle the Whangamomona Saddle and the Tahora Saddle. 14 km past Whangamomona is the Moki Tunnel also known as Hobbits Hole. Just before the Moki Tunnel is the turn off for the Mount Damper Falls, the 4th highest in the north island. In the 1920s the Stratford - Okahukura Line was being built. Many of the ghost towns are from the railway days. Past Hobbits Hole is the Tangarakau Gorge with walls just under 200 ft high, the road in the gorge is not tar sealed. The road takes up to 3 hours.
Part of the Forgotten World Highway (State Highway 43), the single-lane Moki Tunnel (180m long) is something to remember!
Located within the Wanganui National Park to the east of Whangamomona, the tunnel is commonly known as the "Hobbit's Hole" (and a local has even hung a sign over the entrance stating thus!).
This historic, very narrow tunnel was constructed in 1935-1936 by the Public Works Department. It was hand-dug with picks and shovels...and two jack-hammers driven by a coal-fired steam compressor. While the tunnel was being dug, many unique fossils were found.
Originally the tunnel was 5m tall, but the tunnel’s floor was lowered in 1989 (to accommodate the height of modern freight trucks), increasing the tunnel’s height to 7m.
The Moki Tunnel is a fine example of the unusual and well-thought-out work completed by the road engineers and surveyors of early New Zealand. It has been appreciated by many travelers on the road, and is seen as one of the remote tourist attractions of Taranaki. Beyond the tunnel you delve into the scenic delights of the Tangarakau Gorge, where the road’s sealed surface becomes gravel.
New Zealand Railways Jb 1239 on a railfan special Tangarakau gorge Stratford - Okahukura Line June 1966
New Zealand Railways Jb 1205 on a railfan special Tangarakau gorge Stratford - Okahukura Line June 1966
New Zealand Railways Jb 1205 on a railfan special Tangarakau gorge Stratford - Okahukura Line June 1966
New Zealand Railways Jb 1205 on a railfan special Tangarakau gorge Stratford - Okahukura Line June 1966
New Zealand Railways Jb 1205 on a railfan special Tangarakau gorge Stratford - Okahukura Line June 1966
This is one of many similar bridges built in the early 1920s to open up hill country valleys where land had been allocated to returning WW1 servicemen.
By the 1960s the difficulties of farming this land was leading to farm abandonments and planned bush regeneration to control erosion. This bridge was maintained to give access to a power line service track.
Today - in 2006 - one farm remains up here, with much of the land now held as a forest park. Tangarakau township itself is a ghost town that was originally built to support the construction of the Taumaranui to Stratford railway.
The whole story of these districts is redolent of the era when New Zealand thought that land development was unlimited and that you could put any Kiwi joker on to any land and they would find a way of making it productive. When I used to go up here and stay on a farm regularly most of the locals still believed this, but most of them, one by one, were eventually forced off by overwhelmingly negative economics.
For my video; youtu.be/E3SfcLYwIMM,
New Zealand State Highway 43, also called the Forgotten World Highway, is a road that runs 148 km from Stratford in Taranaki to Taumarunui in the King Country. The road has a lot of interesting small towns on it including, Toko, Douglas, Te Wera, Pohukura, Strathmore, Whangamomona, Marco, Koruatahi, Tahora, Tatu and 10 km off the highway is Ohura. Driving the road takes up to 3 hours.
The highway goes through some rugged, beautiful countryside. It climbs three saddles, including the Strathmore Saddle, the Whangamomona Saddle and the Tahora Saddle. 14 km past Whangamomona is the Moki Tunnel, also known as Hobbit's Hole. Just before the Moki Tunnel is the turn off for the Mount Damper Falls, the 4th highest in the north island. In the 1920s the Stratford–Okahukura Line was built. Many of the ghost towns are from the railway days. Past Hobbit's Hole is the Tangarakau Gorge with walls just under 200 ft high. The road in the gorge is not sealed.
51/366,
Stratford District, Taranaki, New Zealand
This shot is of the Tangarakau River about a 5 minute walk from "Morgan's Grave" along the fogotten highway.
Today, I took the Blade out to get some fresh air and de-stress.
The 'Forgotten World Highway' provides a highly memorable ride (or drive) but beware, it's easy to end up cartwheeling through a local farmers fence if you over cook it.
SH43, The Forgotten World Highway, 150km Stratford to Taumarunui, hugs the rugged contours of the land to give a natural rollercoaster experience. NZ's first 'Heritage Trail' it winds over four mountain saddles alongside the spectacular Tangarakau Gorge and is one of the most popular motorcycle routes in the North Island.
info-NZ Bike Rider Magazine.
The 142km Stratford to Okahukura railway line in the North Island of New Zealand is currently "mothballed". A two day trip over the line in golf carts is currently offered by Forgotten World Adventures. Details at www.forgottenworldadventures.co.nz/
Stopped at Tangarakau station. The area through the gorge is still native bush and very scenic.
Photo taken 27/11/2019