Manawatu - Wimbledon road conditions?

[longwayfromhome]

Running down there today....does Wimbledon Rd north of Wimbledon still have a gravel section? If so, how 'bad' is it? I'm on a big touring bike and am happy with dirt roads with a skim of gravel, not with deep continuous gravel though. How long is the gravel bit now. I am approaching from Waipukurau, on the way to Hood Aerodrome at Masterton to see the Lancasters for the Dambusters remake.

TIA

[Taz]

You talking HW52 from Waipuk to masterton? When we did the grand challenge thru there last yearI didn't see any gravel.

[Owl]

Wimbledon Rd has no gravel, though I do remember a section years ago. Just keep an eye out for a few uneven bits between Porongahau and Wimbledon.

[NZsarge]

Wimbledon Rd has no gravel, though I do remember a section years ago. Just keep an eye out for a few uneven bits between Porongahau and Wimbledon.

And Wimbledon to Weber aint super flash either but the rest of it is mint.

[Mully]

Wimbledon Rd has no gravel.

But it's crawling with wombles.......

[banditrider]

And Wimbledon to Weber aint super flash either but the rest of it is mint.

Yes, and mind the pot holes, slumps in the road and turkeys...

Great fun road though - although not that nice in the wet in the middle of the night as per '08 GC...

[Zuki lover]

A HB group did that ride back in June, from Pahiatua through to Porangahau. No gravel, but there was heaps of shingle on the road - absolutely fun corners though

[specter]

when i went over there for a tag the corners were loaded with ribbed patches of tar seal.... but other than that mint!

[longwayfromhome]

Thanks everyone...I only had seen Anthrax's reply before I had to leave, so had faith :-).

The road was in excellent condition travelling from the north. No gravel is confirmed, though I could detect the section that had been sealed more recently than the rest. Between Waipuk and Wimbledon I didn't pass any cars in either direction and only 5 between there and Alfredton. A lovely sense of remoteness.

The only downsides were:
1. South of Pongaroa, the road was pretty narrow for 20km or so, bordering on single lane at times. Not a place to make wild assumptions.
2. Travelling late in the afternoon, the sunstrike was bad, and flicking in and out of shade + sunstrike broke the rhythm a bit.

Otherwise, a great ride. Thanks for the reliable guidance from everyone.