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There are two routes between New Plymouth and Taumarunui, both are very scenic and include long stretches of dirt/gravel road. In this video we take Highway 43, also known as the “Forgotten World Highway” a particularly apt description for the middle section of the route through the Tangarakau Gorge, a prehistoric landscape, set in a deep gorge covered in temperate rainforest where a dinosaur would look right at home among the tall ferns and lush undergrowth. At this point the road is reduced to a dirt track with evidence of recent rock falls all along the route and there is even a tunnel, unlike any tunnel I’ve seen before. We pick up our route near Douglas a short distance out of Stratford, the terrain is difficult, best described as lumpy hills without obvious river valleys for either the road or the railway to follow. The road climbs over a series of saddles (Summits) whilst the old railway track burrows underneath. We pass the occasional homestead, many of them abandoned by the early settlers who struggled to make a living out of this inhospitable land with its poor transport links to the outside world. At about the halfway point we stop off at Whangamomomona, a small farming community that hasn’t changed in the last one hundred years, its hotel is surrounded by a balcony that gives access to the rooms, it looks like the kind of place where one would expect you see cowboys and women of ill repute, in reality it serves great food to travelers and offers overnight guests a truly authentic experience. Whangamomomona declared itself a Republic when a boundary change moved it from the Taranaki Region to the Manawatu-Wanganui Region. Although the declaration was originally in protest at the move, Republic Day is still celebrated with local festivities attracting visitors from all over North Island. This is one of my favourite drives, the best way to appreciate it is to actually make the journey, but for those of you who can’t please join me for this most unusual trip back in time.
Maps from Google Maps
Music - Collection - Track - Version - Source World - Tribal Culture - Sacred Rhythm - Pinnacle Studio (Scorefitter)