My friend and I are doing a 10 week tour of parts of both islands in Jan-Mar. We have some time to spend in the Tongariro National Park area of North Island and I'm hoping someone can help me decide about a road I located on a map. It runs between SH 1 and Napier but goes through what looks like pretty wild country passing through Erewhon, Kuripapango and the Ngaruroro River valley, Willowford, then finally Omahu on Route 50. It looks to be perhaps a gravel road and would be an access point to the Kaweka Forest Park.
Anyone know if this road is suitable for mountain biking? Is the country nice? Is the Kaweka Forest Park worth a visit? Is there a website that might help us plan a trip though there?
About 50k is unsealed. Hilly and twisty. Scenic. Suitable for biking, you may see others. Good camping at the rangatiki river and at kuripaponga.
I like the Kaweka's, it relatively easy (care needed of course), only a few hours from valley floor to tops.
dswarthout said:
Hi -
My friend and I are doing a 10 week tour of parts of both islands in Jan- Mar. We have some time to spend in the Tongariro National Park area of North Island and I'm hoping someone can help me decide about a road I located on a map. It runs between SH 1 and Napier but goes through what looks like pretty wild country passing through Erewhon, Kuripapango and the Ngaruroro River valley, Willowford, then finally Omahu on Route 50. It looks to be perhaps a gravel road and would be an access point to the Kaweka Forest Park.
Anyone know if this road is suitable for mountain biking? Is the country nice? Is the Kaweka Forest Park worth a visit? Is there a website that might help us plan a trip though there?
