One of the best roads I've seen

**Lazy7** · 28th May 2006, 21:53

so - i went down to the rally of rotorua. was crewing for a car and the deadly motu stage was on the cards.

we had a fueling stop at opotiki - then onto Matawai which is home to the 48kms of the Motu. the equivilent to the nurburging ring in nz for rally cars.

annnyway.

between opotiki and matawai is the Waioeka Gorge that follows the koranga river.

its 58kms long and is the best collection of 45 and 65 km's i have ever seen. truly a brilliant road, scenery and thrill factor.

if anybody is travelling from rotorua and wants to go to gisbourne or whakatane - i HIGHLY recommend you go the back way and check it out.

i've got a video sample and will post it up when i get it off my phone

**Goblin** · 28th May 2006, 22:17

Yes it is a wicked road! A few of us are trying to get around to a trip over that way before they lower the speed limit to 80k/h. I have only done the return trip twice and need more.

**Hitcher** · 28th May 2006, 22:24

Ridden it twice now in the dark. The first time in a freezing cold hurricane. Lovely. Bless those Rustys. I must do it again sometime in daylight...

**yungatart** · 28th May 2006, 22:32

A fantastic road. But not recommended in 40 degree summer heat!!

**beyond** · 29th May 2006, 09:32

Originally Posted by yungatart

A fantastic road. But not recommended in 40 degree summer heat!!

Awww, don't you like tar surfing??

**emaN** · 29th May 2006, 09:41

Oh, is that what it's called?

I always think of it as "r4q2's playground"!

hmmm...long w/end coming up...hmmm

**rustys** · 29th May 2006, 18:45

yeh mate its a good ride allright for us going north, thats why we live over here,and we have a similar ride going south to Napier, tyres always stay nice and rounded getting plenty of ware on the sides.I have ridden the Waioeka gorge road hundreds of times and it can be an awesome ride most of the time, but be wary after rain it brings down the odd bolders which can catch you out. If our group goes away for the weekend we generally take it easy, check the road out, and give it the beans coming home.
Another trap is that if it has'nt rained for a while, the first shower of rain it will be bloody slippery as there is a shit load of trucks that travel through there,i know iv'e seem convoys of them in the early hours comming through to Gisborne.
Winter time even on a nice day the road can still be wet on corners all day if there has be a good frost, and you can have some big frosts with ice in there during winter.
But come summer its heaven on earth on a bike, and to piss

E-Man of when the water in the river looks nice i stop and have a trout fish, what more do you want in life!!!!

Having fun and

"GROWING OLD DISGRACEFULLY"

**DingDong** · 29th May 2006, 19:13

Take it easy up there when its cold, you cant see the ice... I've laid down a bike and a car on that road... both from ice.

Coast road is better, twistier and warmer with a few 200k straights in between... makes a good loop road coming back through Waioweka too (pretty big loop!)

**What?** · 30th May 2006, 06:21

Originally Posted by Lazy7

between opotiki and matawai is the Waioeka Gorge that follows the koranga river.

Huh? It always used to follow the Waioeka river. The Koranga is a tributary, but the nearest point to the highway is a good 10Km up a side road just before Matawai (alternative and much more interesting route to Gisborne, but dunno that I'd take a sprotsbike that way)

**Pickle** · 30th May 2006, 10:07

My wife & I did the Motu at New Years, great in the dry dont know what it would be like when wet as it is clay based - slippery. Not really sports bike country, Waioeka gorge or cape road are awsome.

**Matt Bleck** · 30th May 2006, 10:25

Yeah that's my fav bit of road. But as a few have said can be dodgie in the winter or even after a decent bit of rain. Always expect to find gravel or large stones around every corner and you should be fine. Can be a nightmare getting stuck behind slower traffic as there are not many passing places tho they are starting to work on that.

They are talking about trialing(sp) a 80k speed limit thru there which would suck.

**Kendog** · 30th May 2006, 10:57

I can recommend the white water rafting on that river too, pretty cool.
Mrs KD

**Lazy7** · 30th May 2006, 11:19

Originally Posted by SpeedMedic

Hey Lazy7, you didnt come up and say hi. Yeah that Motu sure was a testing stage, quite a few cars didnt get thru.
On day one there were 78 cars, by the end of day 2 there were 37.
Ive done that gorge road between Opotiki and Gisbourne before... well as far as Matawai anyway.. its brilliant. Watch this space in spring for a KB ride through there.

ahh. i talked to one ambo guy at a gasy in opotoki on the way home - was that you??? sorry dude - didn't realise you were working the rally.

our car didn't make it to the end of motu. suspension failure 8k's from the finish saw him out.

was a bugger too cause he was doing really well. seeded 66th but 18th overall after stage 2.