Mid-winter ride?

[DevoDave]

I am taking a week off work to do a mid winter ride, and to clear the head and have a bit of a long overdue adventure.
My intended route is Auckland to Wellington via the East Cape Wairoa and Napier. I want to tackle the Gentle Annie, Napier to Taihape, there could be a bit of snow on the top. I can find little information on current conditions and the NZ Motor Cycle Atlas gives little advice other than to check the weather forecast and not to do it alone. The return trip will be Wellington to Auckland via Taranaki, Whangamomona, Ruapehu. SH43 Whangamomona is also an unknown.

Can any one give advise on the Gentle Annie section and SH43?

[Hitcher]

SH43 has about 17km unsealed through the Tangarakau Gorge, but it's pretty civilised as unsealed roads go. The Gentle Annie is also unsealed through the middle, but not as civilised as SH43. It also has logging trucks and stock trucks to contend with.

[yod]

about 35-40km of gravel with a short steep section of seal in the middle

only done it in summer though

i've got a google map showing the gravel somewhere - if i can find it i'll post it up

[ynot slow]

Post up the intended day you are in the Naki,a few can show you to border control at Whangamomona,worth staying the night if your keen at the pub,the proverbial dinner,bed and brekkie about $95pp.

[Bonez]

Napier Taihapi Rd is definately doable in winter. Road varies from good sealed sections, good unsealed section portions and crap unsealed bits. There are some narrow stretches of unsealed road that don't get much sun this time of year and have been icey/slippery a times. Is quite exposed in parts so high winds can be an issue as well.

As mentioned there are heavy trucks en route and there are roading gangs working on portions of it at the moment (Pm Gunnyrob for more details ) If you're not in a hurry the ride is well worth it.

Seems to be a fair few cars across it these days too than years gone by.

Couple of pics first is of the unsealed section from the Taihape end.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...6&d=1192341014

Center portions, GBs parked at the picnic/camp area in the last one.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...7&d=1192341014
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...9&d=1148284198
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...5&d=1148281112

[Bones2]

Did a loop through from Dannevirke - Taihape to Napier - and return yesterday - beautiful

Overall, 161 km Taihape to Napier city - 140 km Taihape to Fernhill/Omahu.

There is 27km of gravel which is being worked on at the moment with the intention of sealing all of this. There are several road gangs doing it in sections and there were a couple of waits while they were working on it yesterday.

From Taihape there was plenty of frost and a bit of ice on many shady parts of the road - both sealed and metal. The metal surface from Taihape is great - compacted fine gravel, although a bit rough through the first section where they are installing culverts - managed a good speed through the metal on a Bandit.

There is a steep section which has been sealed, then the last metal section on the Hawkes Bay side has more metal, a bit coarser, and had just been graded, so take care!

There will be trucks going through, but I had none on Saturday and only 2 cars.

Once on the HB side on the seal its a great run - big sweeping curves - down to Omahu

On a great day the views are magnificant.

[DevoDave]

I have completed the trip, 2200 ks in all, Auckland to wellington and back with many interesting bits in between.
A few observations;
Gentle Annie,did the ride Napier to Taihape, not a problem, On a road bike; take it slow and expect anything to be comming around the next hairpin bend, mostly logging or roadworks trucks on the road. the gravel is pretty tidy and there are heaps of road works. They are working on sealing the road with about 40 ks on the Erehwon stretch. Gentle Annie itself is sealed (Kurapongo) and the views are magnificent.
Cape Palliser; rougher on the bike than Gentle Annie, the corrigations will shake your fillings out, but well worth the effort, do it in the early morning and there are no other users, watch for ice on the sealed surfaces at this time of the year.
Rimatuka Hill; Written up in some of the guides as a must do, great road but had to stop at the top and let a long line of heavy traffic disappear from view before carrying on.
Paekakriki to Ruapehu; left at 6 in the morning in the dark, heaps of stars, first part of the ride to Levin blighted by heavy opposing traffic lot of them with poorly adjusted headlights, sun rising as headed into the hills near Hunterville, sun strike and shadow combined to slow me down but made it to Waiouru in 2.5 hours, took an hour, 1 pepper steak pie and three cups of coffee to thaw out.
On the whole the only real issues were a day of rain around wellington and the last 100ks back into Auckland in the pissing rain.
Where to next? think it will be a long weekend and a circumnavigation of Northland. The R1150RT did not miss a beat and is very forgiving, not too bad in the gravel either.

[gunnyrob]

Great success! Good to hear the trip went well