Forgotten World Highway: there and back again

[Thani-B]

When PirateJafa and I were offered free accommodation in Turangi for the week 1st-7th Jan, we jumped at the chance, and so planned our mini road trip. On the 1st, we geared up and headed south. It was a fairly uneventful trip down. One incident proves that karma really is a bitch when a white 4wd that had overtaken us a few km earlier, was now parked up on the side of the road with the red'n blues having a grumpy chat. From Tokoroa we opted to take SH 32 instead of going through Taupo, which proved to be almost traffic free, but was mostly a boring ride, save the last 2 hills before reaching Turangi.

The next day we rose and left bright and early (yeah right) :innocent:, well actually we were on our way at around about noon, and headed over to Taumarunui. After filling up, and a few photos, we were on our way, we were on the Forgotten World Highway!

The road was awesome, the views were stunning, the sun was shining :sunny:, it was looking to be a great day...

Seeing as it was our first time doing this road, we had to stop loads of times for photos, and were just taking it easy enjoying the scenery. As we were stopped documenting the beginning of the gravel road, we had a Truimph rider pull over for a bit of a chat. He offered us words of encouragement and said he would meet us at the pub further on and off he went. Well, the 12km of "gravel" was fine, even for me when I'd never done a road like that before. The one way tunnel a little bit futher on was a laugh, specially when we realised it would be easier to see if the tinted visors were up :) and PJ had fun filling the tunnel with the sound of his 636.

It wasn't long before we reached Whangamomona pub, where we were greeted by the Triumph owner again. We had a chat, and he told us what laid ahead for us and then went on his way. After lunch, we geared up again and continued on our way. Here we met the saddles, and they were fun! PirateJafa took off, left me pootling along on my own and I found myself humming to the tune of the Indiana Jones theme, strangely enough. On the Stratford side of the saddles we met our second motorcyclist for the day, a Harley rider, and once we helped him get his bike out of the ditch we carried on and not long after, arrived in Stratford, where we gassed up, and turned around to head back.

This is where we failed at planning. It would have been better for us if we did get up bright and early to begin our trip. The Forgotten World Highway is roughly 160km long, and it look us between 3-4 hours each way (including photo and food breaks). For those who are used to rides like this, it wouldn't be a problem, but for those that know me, know that one of the reasons I love doing the SATNR is because I usually don't have far to travel to get home (to bed) after the pub. :o This ride, it almost broke me. We got 50km back into the highway and I was over it, I wanted to hop off my bike and curl up in bed. :( I really struggled to get back over all the saddles and to Whangamomona, once we past there it was a bit easier, even though we weren't even halfway. I made it though! Back to Taumarunui, and then back to Turangi, where I promptly fell into the spa that was waiting for us. :woohoo:

Saw another 5 bikes after leaving Stratford, a pair of intrepid GN riders, a pair of sportsbikes, all heading in the opposite direction to us, and then once off the Forgotten Highway, the second Harley rider of the day, this one pushing his bike along the road towards Taumarunui, while his lady carried their helmets.

Great twisties, lovely views, I really enjoyed it the first time, but I think that is the first and last time that I ride both ways in one day. I think for next time, I will need a helmet cam, to record the whole experience, and will stay overnight before returning the way I came of course :).

[Thani-B]

More pics of the trip

[Hopeful Bastard]

woah... lovin that pic of the clouds!!

[cowboyz]

one of my favourite pieces of road. mint scenery on a nice day too. You could have headed on the north loop to mt messenger and back down 8 mile for a easier run and about the same time frame but doing forgotten highway twice in an afternoon is a great idea! Well done

[shafty]

Well done Guys - a big ride! It's also a fav of mine, with our home being nearby in Matiere (Tho we are in Bahrain for another 18 months). Great pics too - how are you enjoying the Fanta machine?

BTW Greg Murphy after a "Economy Challenge" which went thru there, proclaimed it the "best kept secret in the North Island" (or sim)

Needless to say his economy figures were the worst of the whole challenge which I thought was brilliant lol

[The Baron]

What a great read. Thanks for the post and the pic.

[boman]

Been there, bloody awesome ride. Absolutely recommend it to anybody who wants to ride somwhere different. Thani-B next time stay overnight in stratford, then head home up the coast road. That is another fantastic ride. Brings you out at Te Kuiti, I cannot say anough good things about that blat. I actually enjoyed the ride from Stratford to Te Kuiti more than the Forgotten Highway. Long sweeping corners, beautiful scenery, a couple of tunnels. What a blast.

[tri boy]

The section twenty-thirty k's from Tauramanui STILL has massive amounts of tar bleed on the down hill sections. Me thinks many sport bike riders will come to grief this summer on that section when the road temperatures rise.
Twas okay yesterday, as the temp was low, but it is a serious problem in the heat. (winding downhill run, with no traction for braking, or line correction).

[Pussy]

Beware of tar bleed on the Whangamomana- Stratford section of the road in hot weather, too

[howdamnhard]

Sounds like you two had a great ride. Nice pics to. Went out to Raglan on SH22 the other day, also took longer than expected and I was pretty knackered afterwards. It's well worth it and the road is in pretty good nick. Lots of twisties. Weather was good and it was very picturesqe (sorry no pics).

[boman]

The section twenty-thirty k's from Tauramanui STILL has massive amounts of tar bleed on the down hill sections. Me thinks many sport bike riders will come to grief this summer on that section when the road temperatures rise.
Twas okay yesterday, as the temp was low, but it is a serious problem in the heat. (winding downhill run, with no traction for braking, or line correction).

Yea we found that out last year. In January some of the roads were like flowing with tar. Freaky shit. No grip, would be an understatement.

[6ft5]

Great twisties, lovely views, I really enjoyed it the first time, but I think that is the first and last time that I ride both ways in one day. I think for next time, I will need a helmet cam, to record the whole experience, and will stay overnight before returning the way I came of course :).

Wow what a great read. Have been wanting to do this for some time. But ater your mention of 2 harley riders spilling or mechanical trouble, I wonder if it is safe to do so.

Congaratulations on a great experience shared with the rest of us

[Grasshopperus]

Yeah nice write up there.

P.S: photos are more interesting when they have people in them :)

[pritch]

That was a big day out. I don't think it would have even occurred to me to do 43 both ways in a day. Down 43 and back up SH3 and then SH4 to Taumarunui would be a great ride and the return trip would have lots of interest for a bike rider too. The old thing about roads holding interest inversely proportional to the size of the highway number doesn't apply there.

6ft5, we see Harley riders in there regularly. If the bike is running well and the rider is sensible there should be no problem, same as any other brand.

Then there is this:188935

[cowboyz]

Wow what a great read. Have been wanting to do this for some time. But ater your mention of 2 harley riders spilling or mechanical trouble, I wonder if it is safe to do so.

Congaratulations on a great experience shared with the rest of us

do you not ride any road that a harley has had trouble with? wont be long before you cant get out your driveway

[trumpy]

Wow what a great read. Have been wanting to do this for some time. But ater your mention of 2 harley riders spilling or mechanical trouble, I wonder if it is safe to do so.

Congaratulations on a great experience shared with the rest of us

I have done this ride a couple of times now and agree with the Mt Messenger and 8 mile junction return. Plenty of Harley riders have ridden 42
without any problems and the ones I have spoken to (yes they indulge me sometimes.....) have loved the trip. Just pick your days, a nice overcast one like today would be perfect.

[rainman]

Thani-B next time stay overnight in stratford, then head home up the coast road.

Nah stay at the Whanga pub, it's part of the experience, the hosts are friendly and the locals are interesting.

+1 to the coast road advice, though.

[gijoe1313]

I give this my gijoe1313 seal of pootling perfection! :niceone: Good on ya Thani-b, when you realise what you can do, when you thought you can't, you'll now think you can if you thought about it now! You never know, you may end up doing a good ol'gijoe stylin' pootle one day without realising it! :msn-wink:

[6ft5]

That was a big day out. I don't think it would have even occurred to me to do 43 both ways in a day. Down 43 and back up SH2 and then SH4 to Taumarunui would be a great ride and the return trip would have lots of interest for a bike rider too. The old thing about roads holding interest inversely proportional to the size of the highway number doesn't apply there.

6ft5, we see Harley riders in there regularly. If the bike is running well and the rider is sensible there should be no problem, same as any other brand.

Then there is this:188935

Cheers Pritch, I can see the comments flying already. My bike is well maintained and I am a conservative rider and don't need to spill my bike. I was interested in the loose gravel and the chance of a stone caught in the belt and damaging it. Done some of these roads on my Triumph Tiger and this was great fun, especially the Gentle Annies.

[Conquiztador]

Re the second Harley (where they were pushing it) what had happened to them? Anything you could have done?

Good write up. Cheers.

[Thani-B]

Cheers for the kind words guys, looking at a map now, I'm glad with what I achieved :D


Yeah nice write up there.

P.S: photos are more interesting when they have people in them :)

I wish I had asked someone to take a photo of us at some point, it didn't occur to me at the time though.


Re the second Harley (where they were pushing it) what had happened to them? Anything you could have done?

Good write up. Cheers.

The bike looked fine as we went past (ie not crashed), so my guess is that he ran out of gas. He was chatting to a farmer about it with a smile on his face as he kept pushing, so I don't think it was anything major.

[PirateJafa]

Re the second Harley (where they were pushing it) what had happened to them? Anything you could have done?

Good write up. Cheers.

He gave us a "Yeah yeah, it's one of those days" grins as we rode past, and as they were within sight of Taumarunui we left 'em to it. The first Harley wasn't going anywhere fast though, and had to wait for a towtruck.


Cheers Pritch, I can see the comments flying already. My bike is well maintained and I am a conservative rider and don't need to spill my bike. I was interested in the loose gravel and the chance of a stone caught in the belt and damaging it. Done some of these roads on my Triumph Tiger and this was great fun, especially the Gentle Annies.

There isn't actually much loose stuff on the road - it's mostly all hard-packed dirt, with just a loose scattering of gravel here and there over the top. As long as your bike can do 150km to a tank, you'll be fine!

[Conquiztador]

He gave us a "Yeah yeah, it's one of those days" grins as we rode past, and as they were within sight of Taumarunui we left 'em to it.

So instead of stopping and asking if you could get him some petrol you decided that he was OK pushing a 350kg bike? Lets just hope that when I am in trouble you are not the only one coming past...

[PirateJafa]

So instead of stopping and asking if you could get him some petrol you decided that he was OK pushing a 350kg bike? Lets just hope that when I am in trouble you are not the only one coming past...

When I slow down and look quizzically at you giving the thumbs-up/thumb-down questioning gesture and you respond solely with a grin, when there is a town with at least two bike shops and petrol stations one kilometre down a straight, flat road, yes, I will give you a nod back and continue happily on my merry way.

Bikers who need (or don't need, but just want) my help will always get it, and I've gone well out of my way on both the bike and in the car to do so in the past. He clearly didn't want it.

But if you prefer, I'll just keep riding past you if I see you in trouble...

[Conquiztador]

When I slow down and look quizzically at you giving the thumbs-up/thumb-down questioning gesture and you respond solely with a grin, when there is a town with at least two bike shops and petrol stations one kilometre down a straight, flat road, yes, I will give you a nod back and continue happily on my merry way.

Bikers who need (or don't need, but just want) my help will always get it, and I've gone well out of my way on both the bike and in the car to do so in the past. He clearly didn't want it.

But if you prefer, I'll just keep riding past you if I see you in trouble...

I have been on both sides of the equation: Broken down with a Harley, and riding a non-Harley past someone with a Harley pushing. (Also stopping for a non-Harley that is broken down while on my HD) We both know that there is a thing where if on a Harley you do not ask a jappa for help. But does not mean you do not need it. A Harley rider would rather push than be seen on the back of a jappa going for petrol. We both also know that this is all BS. And so I will happily be the one breaking the ice. For the few seconds it takes to slow down and ask if you can help, personally I consider it worth it. When/if I am in trouble I normally sort it one way or another. But if you are passing me, don't be fooled by the harsh looks. Inside I am a decent chap who would appreciate your helping me, because if/when you are in trouble I will not care what bike or colour leathers you have (or what patch is on your back for that matter), I will always slow down/stop and ask. But I am probably just old fashioned and if you wait a few years old coots like me are all but history.

[PirateJafa]

I have been on both sides of the equation: Broken down with a Harley, and riding a non-Harley past someone with a Harley pushing. (Also stopping for a non-Harley that is broken down while on my HD) We both know that there is a thing where if on a Harley you do not ask a jappa for help. But does not mean you do not need it. A Harley rider would rather push than be seen on the back of a jappa going for petrol. We both also know that this is all BS. And so I will happily be the one breaking the ice. For the few seconds it takes to slow down and ask if you can help, personally I consider it worth it. When/if I am in trouble I normally sort it one way or another. But if you are passing me, don't be fooled by the harsh looks. Inside I am a decent chap who would appreciate your helping me, because if/when you are in trouble I will not care what bike or colour leathers you have (or what patch is on your back for that matter), I will always slow down/stop and ask. But I am probably just old fashioned and if you wait a few years old coots like me are all but history.

If someone wants the help, I'll give it, regardless of bike/race/patch/location/religion (except Scientologists, they can fuckin' walk). I've offloaded two 50cc scooters off the trailer on our way back from the Meremere drags to put a broken-down 400kg Harley tourer on instead, then had to protect Squiggles/Danae with me car from the masses of angry car-drivers as they rode the scooters over the Bombays to Auckland, at their top speed of 50km/h. That dude asked for a hand when we pulled over to see if he was okay, and he was thankful when we dropped him and his behemoth of a bike home.

But if a person wants to put their "bad-ass" image over accepting a helping hand, then fine. Hopefully their bad-ass image is still keeping them cheerful as they watch the hours pass on the side of the road. I'm a biker, not a fuckin' psychologist.

(And from memory you are indeed a decent chap. Even if you have a unfathomable and surely irrational dislike of the nectar of the gods that is Guinness.)

[gijoe1313]

Oh the humanity of it all! Who will think of the children and the fluffy bunny rabbits? Can't we all be friends? Can't we just all get along? Oh! Oh! Oh! :whistle: :msn-wink:

[Morcs]

Wow Kawasakis actually made it through there without falling apart?

[Conquiztador]

If someone wants the help, I'll give it, regardless of bike/race/patch/location/religion (except Scientologists, they can fuckin' walk). I've offloaded two 50cc scooters off the trailer on our way back from the Meremere drags to put a broken-down 400kg Harley tourer on instead, then had to protect Squiggles/Danae with me car from the masses of angry car-drivers as they rode the scooters over the Bombays to Auckland, at their top speed of 50km/h. That dude asked for a hand when we pulled over to see if he was okay, and he was thankful when we dropped him and his behemoth of a bike home.

But if a person wants to put their "bad-ass" image over accepting a helping hand, then fine. Hopefully their bad-ass image is still keeping them cheerful as they watch the hours pass on the side of the road. I'm a biker, not a fuckin' psychologist.

(And from memory you are indeed a decent chap. Even if you have a unfathomable and surely irrational dislike of the nectar of the gods that is Guinness.)

Well done re the helping. Now you are trying to use logic against attitude. (Re the Guinness, you were supposed to bring the beer...;) )

[Thani-B]

Wow Kawasakis actually made it through there without falling apart?

Nothing has gone wrong with them yet :bleh: