Wanganui River road sealed?

[Moi]

Hi,
Thinking of going down the Wanganui River road from Raetahi to Wanganui rather than the Paraparas... how much of the road is gravel surface? [Last time thru there was in a car after a storm and spent time dodging fallen trees etc... made for a slow but interesting journey!]
Many thanks.

[BMWST?]

from about -39.45692,175.136135 to about -39.589437,175.123261 seems to be gravel.Plug those co ordiantes into google maps,you can draw a line to get an accurate distance or have a guess from the scale

[Moi]

Thanks for that info - google maps indicate about 30km of gravel... not too far then...

Any further info from anyone would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Waihou Thumper]

I recall from Raetehi there was metal and road works, I think it is sealed now mostly to Jerusalem?
Are you concerned about gravel because you are on a road bike?
I recall the downside to the River Road was it was gonna be sealed, a nightmare to ADV riders...!

There were a few bumps and single lane passes but I would have done it on a road bike albeit slowly...
Aslan knows a bit, he has a friendly Nun he visits for Tea and Bikkies in Jerusalem if I recall correctly.

i loved the road and the views and kept thinking of returning and riding the North side of the river as I saw a road there, probably a dead end or just a farm road but worth exploring.
Don't drink any water in Raetahi...
The pies are to die for though!

[Waihou Thumper]

google maps indicate about 30km of gravel...

Not enough then, it is all disappearing....the forgotten highway will be next...

[BMWST?]

I recall from Raetehi there was metal and road works, I think it is sealed now mostly to Jerusalem?
Are you concerned about gravel because you are on a road bike?
I recall the downside to the River Road was it was gonna be sealed, a nightmare to ADV riders...!

There were a few bumps and single lane passes but I would have done it on a road bike albeit slowly...
Aslan knows a bit, he has a friendly Nun he visits for Tea and Bikkies in Jerusalem if I recall correctly.

i loved the road and the views and kept thinking of returning and riding the North side of the river as I saw a road there, probably a dead end or just a farm road but worth exploring.
Don't drink any water in Raetahi...
The pies are to die for though!

yes after this post i had a look around the area on google maps and i plotted a route on basecamp.Its the first time i have done that .I was gonna attach it but its an invalid file

[Moi]

Waihou Thumper, thanks for your info, yes a pair of road bikes but tourers rather than sportbikes. Gravel is not a real worry, just take it quietly and carefully, more concerned about length so can factor in travel times.
Cheers.

[Aslan]

I recall from Raetehi there was metal and road works, I think it is sealed now mostly to Jerusalem?
Are you concerned about gravel because you are on a road bike?
I recall the downside to the River Road was it was gonna be sealed, a nightmare to ADV riders...!

There were a few bumps and single lane passes but I would have done it on a road bike albeit slowly...
Aslan knows a bit, he has a friendly Nun he visits for Tea and Bikkies in Jerusalem if I recall correctly.

i loved the road and the views and kept thinking of returning and riding the North side of the river as I saw a road there, probably a dead end or just a farm road but worth exploring.
Don't drink any water in Raetahi...
The pies are to die for though!

Hi Moi et al - Waihou Thumper is correct, I have been known to enjoy visiting the Historic St Joseph's Church and Convent at Jerusalem

It's well worth a look.

The road is pretty much sealed if I recall expect for a section below Pipiriki (when coming from the north) until about Matahiwi, South of Jerusalem. Not much gravel - probably no more than the 30km others have estimated.

Key things are to look out for locals who can consider they own the road - stay well to the left and watch our for any Papa slips across the road - these can make the seal or gravel very slippery.

As Waihou Thumper has indicated - the road on the other side of the river from Aramoho to Kaiiwi is worth travelling if you get a chance - a lot of gravel but typically not challenging

Have fun

[Moi]

Hello Aslan et al,
Once before in the car stopped at all the historic sites down the river, took all day from Raetahi to Wanganui! Thanks for the warning about the papa slips [been a little wet last few days] and the locals - no different from the locals anywhere in this country - we can all be a little lapse on our local roads and streets.

Again, thanks to all for your prompt responses.
Cheers and a Happy New Year,
Moi
[Mark]

[Logmaker]

Hello Aslan et al,
Once before in the car stopped at all the historic sites down the river, took all day from Raetahi to Wanganui! Thanks for the warning about the papa slips [been a little wet last few days] and the locals - no different from the locals anywhere in this country - we can all be a little lapse on our local roads and streets.

Again, thanks to all for your prompt responses.
Cheers and a Happy New Year,
Moi
[Mark]

Came thru fromWanganui at end of Nov. they have been upgrading the gravel section , i suspect it may be sealed in the not to distant future . A good ride , enjoy .

[Moi]

Went down the River Rd on 02 January. What a great ride apart from the section from Pipriki to Jerusalem – more on that later. From Raetahi to Pipiriki was a good road surface apart from a few patches which were a little rough and broken up. But as we were not travelling at any speed – scenery too good to want to travel at speed – these were not a problem. Nice gentle down hill run all the way.

As for the Pipiriki to Jerusalem section – earlier in the day we had stopped at Taumarunui for a coffee at the “Training Café” and had chatted to a couple who had ridden up the River Road the day before on a BMW1200GS. The rider said that they had enjoyed the ride except for the gravel section which he’d found a little challenging due to the heavy and deep gravel that had been spread on the road. So with some trepidation we left Pipiriki and headed south.

The gravel was heavy and deep and spread across most of the road and made for interesting riding conditions for a pair of road bikes. It meant for slow progress especially on the very corrugated sections on bends – in some places it was easier to ride on the off-side of the road and if a vehicle came to stop, though the only vehicles we met coming up the road were also travelling slowly due to the gravel. The 20 kms of gravel took us about 30 minutes to negotiate. No photos were taken on that section – neither of us felt like trying to park up for photos, so if you want to know what we rode through there you’ll need to google Piaggio MP3-400 and Honda Deauville.

From Jerusalem on the road is great. Certainly a road that I’d ride again, but might wait until it is fully sealed.

Thanks to all for your replies and information,
Cheers

[Aslan]

Went down the River Rd on 02 January. What a great ride apart from the section from Pipriki to Jerusalem – more on that later. From Raetahi to Pipiriki was a good road surface apart from a few patches which were a little rough and broken up. But as we were not travelling at any speed – scenery too good to want to travel at speed – these were not a problem. Nice gentle down hill run all the way.

As for the Pipiriki to Jerusalem section – earlier in the day we had stopped at Taumarunui for a coffee at the “Training Café” and had chatted to a couple who had ridden up the River Road the day before on a BMW1200GS. The rider said that they had enjoyed the ride except for the gravel section which he’d found a little challenging due to the heavy and deep gravel that had been spread on the road. So with some trepidation we left Pipiriki and headed south.

The gravel was heavy and deep and spread across most of the road and made for interesting riding conditions for a pair of road bikes. It meant for slow progress especially on the very corrugated sections on bends – in some places it was easier to ride on the off-side of the road and if a vehicle came to stop, though the only vehicles we met coming up the road were also travelling slowly due to the gravel. The 20 kms of gravel took us about 30 minutes to negotiate. No photos were taken on that section – neither of us felt like trying to park up for photos, so if you want to know what we rode through there you’ll need to google Piaggio MP3-400 and Honda Deauville.

From Jerusalem on the road is great. Certainly a road that I’d ride again, but might wait until it is fully sealed.

Thanks to all for your replies and information,
Cheers

Thanks for the update Moi - glad you enjoyed your ride - shame about the new gravel and corrugations

[Moi]

Thanks for the update Moi - glad you enjoyed your ride - shame about the new gravel and corrugations

Yeah, great ride and one for another time - corrugations, even the fillings in my teeth were worked loose!

[lakedaemonian]

Narrow road in many places, and there WILL be fresh slips after every big rainfall. And that river can rise like a rocket when it rains hard up the river(like a few months back).

Great road and scenery.

If you get stuck, the people are pretty cool(I got stuck in the mud back in September by the Skyline Track) and quick to help while laughing at you…..just BE CAREFUL and announce yourself, some of the locals REALLY like their privacy and aren't the biggest fans of non River People.

I know one guy up the river who WILL fire warning shots at people who are on his property without permission or announcing themselves at the gate.

Great bit of improving road.

[rustys]

Have been informed that this road is now fully sealed, can someone enlighten me on this please, anyone been on it recently?