The Forgotten World Highway links Taumarunui in Ruapehu District to Stratford in Taranaki, built upon a network of old Māori trading routes and European bridle paths. It wasn’t the most direct choice of route north from the Manawatū—but it certainly was the more entertaining!
Coordinates
Forgotten World Highway
After overnighting at the National Army Museum | Te Mata Toa in Waiouru, we took the Adventure Highway noth, again admiring Mt Ruapehu (first photo) and the flat-topped Mt Hikurangi. Then we turned onto the Forgotten World Highway/ SH43 at the King Country town of Taumarunui. Initially it follows Whanganui River, beside bluffs of alternating coarse sandstone and fine mudstone (known as “papa”)—former seabed up to 1.3km thick (second photo). Rugged farmland (third photo) gave way to bush in the erosion-resistant Tangarakau Gorge (final photo).
What is papa?
As explained in Whanganui Regional Museum:
Papatūānuku is the earth mother in Māori tradition and “papa” has come to be the accepted name for the hardened seabed mudstone that is the most common base layer of the Whanganui Basin. It erodes quickly, forming deep river and stream valleys. Slips occur easily in papa country when the layers get wet and greasy.
🧭 Exploring
Mt Damper Falls are a 15km/ 20min detour off the Forgotten World Highway; it’s a further 1km/ 20min on foot to the lookout from the parking area. A small platform affords a view of the top of these 74m falls (first photo). Mt Damper Stream continues in the valley below (second photo). The second platform is best for appreciating the curved papa bluff (third photo) and full drop (final photo). Incredibly, the falls remained unseen by Europeans until 1900!
Fossil Canyon is a 2.5km walk from Bushlands Campground at Tāngarākau, itself a 6km detour off the Forgotten World Highway (Ohura Road). From the ghost town—once home to some 1,200 people during the 1920s/ 30s for railway construction—a track leads upriver to a large natural amphitheater (first and second photos). Wild horses roam in the clearing (third photo) and 15 million year-old sea fossils extracted from the cliff, such as this crab (final photo) are displayed at the camp’s small museum.
Forgotten World Highway’s single-lane Moki Tunnel (also known as the “Hobbit Hole”) was dug in 1935/36. In 1985 the road was lowered by 2m to allow for modern vehicle heights (first photo). The walls seemed rather friable and the roof supported by only wooden beams above (second photo)!? Not all those who wander are lost—except perhaps when reaching Tahora (third photo). Tahora Saddle is one of four saddles on this 150km route (third photo). From here the volcanos of the Central Plateau are seen clearly, 70km away.
Continuing southwest we prepared for a passport check, but transited the border zone without incident (first photo). The Republic of Whangamōmona declared independence in 1989—the rebellious residents unhappy about local authority border changes. There’s not much to this quaint capital, somewhat reliant on NZ imports (remaining photos). The ex-President (literally an old goat) was not seen grazing in public. On the road out of town an exit sign welcomed us back into NZ…
On SH43 just below Pohokura Saddle we caught our first glimpse (this visit) of Mt Taranaki (first photo). At Strathmore Saddle Taranaki gets even closer (second photo); from here the back-country beef and sheep farms yield to gentler terrain and dairy farming within the volcanic ring. The saddle crossing was first metalled in the 1920s, before which the journey across it was “a sea of mud in winter to powdery dust in summer.” We omitted the Bridge to Somewhere, as it was a long detour on gravel road and we’d already visited its sister Bridge to Nowhere. Stratford’s Glockenspiel felt rather lame (having seen the example in Prague) and town was beyond tired (third and final photos).
Egmont National Park
Where else should we find ourselves on Taranaki Anniversary Day, if not Egmont National Park | Te Papakura o Taranaki? The day dawned clear from Dawson Falls Carpark (first photo). The summit of Taranaki Maunga | Mt Egmont at 2,518m makes it NZ’s second highest mountain (second photo). On the southern flank, the secondary cone of Panitahi | Fanthams Peak rises to 1,966m (third photo). Volcanic siblings Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu—over 130km away—sent Taranaki their greetings (final photos).
Panitahi | Fanthams Peak is named for the first European woman to summit it in 1887—likely not wearing comfortable hiking pants! The many stairs begin in the so-called “goblin forest” (first photo) and end at the bottom of a scree field (second photo). We turned back at 1,537m due to strong wind gusts, the Peak still some way off (third photo). We made it a fraction beyond our previous attempt in 2007. In this wide shot, looking down the tussock-clad slopes, you can see part of the nearly circular Egmont National Park | Te Papakura o Taranaki green boundary (final photo).
Dawson Falls on the slopes of Mt Taranaki were rediscovered in 1885 when Thomas Dawson almost fell from them. Known as Rere-a-Noke by Taranaki Māori, the original name recounts the story of a warrior who hid behind them to escape his enemies. The lookout is a short walk from the visitor centre (first photo); it’s also possible to descend to the pool at the base of the 18m cascade (final photo).
Wilkies Pools can be visited on a loop walk (2.6km/ 1h) from Dawson Falls Visitor Centre. These natural pools were carved from 20,000 year-old lava by the scouring action of water-borne sand and gravel. The chilly alpine water didn’t deter some bathers! It was amazing how calm it was here, out of the wind in the lee of the mountain given the strong gusts some 500m further up.
Here are the GPS tracks of two of our walks from Dawson Falls:
We intend to return to the mountain from the northern flank, but for now the plan is to undertake a journey south-to-north along the Taranaki coastline.
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