Where is YOUR favourite Adventure road?

**young1** · 2nd July 2007, 19:50

On the WWWWW Adventure Assault we rode some very good "Adventure" type Roads. That got me thinking that everyone must have a favourite road and I would like to find out where that road is!

So how about listing your favourite road that is suitable for an Adventure bike with road legal tires. Tell us;
Where the road is
What makes it such a good road
It is sealed or unsealed
Post a picture if you have it
Is it passable in the wet

To start things I am going to go with;
Kiwi Road North Taranaki
Tight windy road through the bush with a river to one side. It gets very little use, at the start there is even grass growing down the middle of it. Best of all when heading south you go through the tunnel at the top into another world, each side of the tunnel could not be more different.
Unsealed
Sorry no picture but for now look at the wwwww pics for a shot of it.
Yes it is passable in the wet

**Jantar** · 2nd July 2007, 20:03

My favourites would be Thompson's Gorge and the Old Dunstan Road. Both are easy dirt road rides on road tyres in the summer, but you may want something that can handle snow in the winter.

**tri boy** · 2nd July 2007, 20:09

I have a few, and each have their own qualities.
Urewera crossing because its immense country. I can see why Tuhoi want to protect it. Plus you can camp/cabin it at the lake.

My new favorite is Pomarangai saddle off the Awakino-Marokopa rd. Windboy may agree on that. Like Kiwi road at the start, then opens up at the top with nice flowing corners that you can "see" through.

Hope to find many more.

**BarBender** · 2nd July 2007, 20:20

The East Cape Loop.
Start Whakatane...out to TeAraroa - down to Gizzy and then back up the Waioweka Gorge.

Im bias coz its home and so has sentimental value...
In terms of an adventure - its has everything I like in a piece of tarmac.
But more than that, and as many time I have ridden it, I always find something new along the way to take in.

**cooneyr** · 2nd July 2007, 22:33

Name one - thats hard. Here's a couple

Rainbow Road (Hanmer to St Arnaud) - Awesome fast flowing section from Hanmer end to Island Saddle then windy section through gorge near St Arnaud. Just keep and eye on the road and don't go to fast less you end up in ditch like me. 70kms of the 110 are unsealed but it is ridable with road tyres except during winter when snow becomes an issue. Cost $10 by prearrangement outside 1st December to 1st weekend in March or just turn up at the old homestead between Dec and Mar.

Other rides are the Porika Track and the Mangatapu Track. Both somewhat steep gravel/rock but ridable with road orientated adventure tyres in the dry. Fun technical rides.

Cheers R

**Big Dave** · 2nd July 2007, 22:37

Too hard - there's just so many.

**Oscar** · 2nd July 2007, 23:05

Port Waikato to Awaikino including Whaanga, Ruapuke, Mako Mako, Te Rukasummatiforgit and Pomerangi....

**NordieBoy** · 3rd July 2007, 08:21

Maungatapu for all conditions in a 30km ride (60km loop) - It's really a mini Rainbow, with some gnarlier and some more open sections than the Rainbow, just shrunk down to fit in between Nelson and Pelorus.
Takaka Hill (sealed) - Nuff said.
Rainbow (unsealed).
Even the short trip up the Whangamoas (sealed) and back (if there's no traffic).

Anything with gravel really.

**clint640** · 3rd July 2007, 09:01

The Nevis, from Clyde to Garston. Probably around 70km

What makes it a good road?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

...& there's plenty more great scenery like that, wide open bits, twisty bits, rocky climbs & a pub at either end.

It is most definitely unsealed, it has many fords & parts can get snowed on almost any time of the year.

Watch out for stock & Southern Men offering you Speights 1/2 way though.

If you're camping in Queenstown the ride can be nicely topped off by a beer at the Garston pub then a cruise back along the twisty tar of the Wakatipu shore.

Of course the Rainbow gets favourable mention & in the North my favourite would have to be the almost-4wd-track Motu Road, which can be nicely topped off with a beer at the Matawai pub then a zoom home on the curvy seal of the Waioeka Gorge.

Cheers
Clint

**warewolf** · 3rd July 2007, 10:11

My all-time most favourite adventure road is usually the one I'm on right now, or the last one I've found!! Sealed roads would have to be pretty special to rate as an Adventure, particularly given that you can do gravel roads (and worse) on a road bike.

To me it's more about the company (flesh and steel variants both) than the road. To that end, all the roads we did on the Brass trip rate highly. Ditto the Dusty Butt roads. All the North Island stuff between Auckland and Awakino that I explored when the 640 Adventure was new stick in my mind...despite having done most of them on various other adventure bikes over the years.

North Island pick would have to be Taumatamaire Rd, the views from the top in winter of snow-capped Taranaki and Ruapehu/Ngaruahoe are stunning.

South Island, aargh there's just too many. Last one new to me was Maruia Saddle Rd, that was pretty neat with the tight climb and many water crossings on the S end, that bridge over the neat gorge in the middle (like a mini Tree Trunk Gorge - off the Desert Rd, well worth a look for all you people that have ridden past it countless times

), and the high-speed open gravel road for ages to get in to Murchison. Way cool, muchos drifting.

**Big Dave** · 3rd July 2007, 10:41

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

Anything with gravel really.

Nesssst time - just say - What Big Dave said - OK.

**Big Dave** · 3rd July 2007, 10:43

Originally Posted by warewolf

Way cool, muchos drifting.

Get a fuckin' job ya Nelson Yippie.

**Big Dave** · 3rd July 2007, 10:46

Originally Posted by clint640

The Nevis, from Clyde to Garston. Probably around 70km

What makes it a good road?

a pub at either end.

offering you Speights 1/2 way though.

a beer at the Matawai pub t

Clint

Tonight, Homer does ADV.