SH43 (New Zealand)

The SH43 is a long drive through sparsely populated parts of New Zealands North Island, but it is more than worth it. Unfortunately most hired vehicles are not allowed to complete the journey due to a 12km stretch of unsurfaced road in the middle of the route, but even just the northern section is an incredible drive - there is a reason why the route is named The Forgotten World Highway. From ridge top to deep gorge, the road passes through a rich variety of landscapes, every bend revealing a new wonder, and there is even a tunnel to be enjoyed. The name of this tourist route is perhaps a reflection of some of the vegetation along the roadside, which wouldn't look out of place in The Lost World or Jurassic Park. Palms, pampas grass and massive tree ferns are just some of the prehistoric looking plants encountered.

Taumarunui - Tangarakau

One of the many landslips on SH43

The route starts at a TOTSO T junction on the west bank of the Ongarue River at Tamarunui. Priority is given to SH43 from the northern arm of the SH4, perhaps because of the right-angle turn to cross the bridge in to town, although the majority of traffic stays on SH4. The road heads south, following the river which meanders wildly across the valley floor. In places, the road is cutting off large loops, while in others it is trapped between the river and a steep cliff face of loose material which causes regular landslips both above and below the road. Short of adding a dozen bridges to carry the road back and forth across the river and avoid the problem areas.

A striking bridge spans the river, carrying a side road over and into a deep cutting on the far bank, and then after another landslip area, the road climbs away from the river for a while, crossing flat farmland, before dipping back to the riverbank. At length, and about 20km from the start, the road finally leaves the river behind as it winds westwards into the hills. The road stays low down in the valleys as they meander between sharply rising hills, getting narrower as they slowly gain height. The landscape here is composed largely of mudstone, which forms distinctive pyramidical shapes as it is eroded. It also means that every slight cutting made by the road is liable to collapse with little warning.

The road is often narrow as it continues west, cut into the steep hillside above a narrow stream in the bottom of the valley. There are many twists and turns, sharp ascents and sudden drops. Side turnings lead off to farms and houses hidden in the folds of the hills, with a very few visible on the roadside. Somewhere in these hills, a low watershed is crossed and the road is running downhill again, to find a huge meander on the Ohuru River. The river has barely come into sight, however, before the road is climbing, steeply up a sequence of switchback bends, up on to a ridge which for the first time offers a proper view of the crazy landscape through which the road is taking us.

No sooner is it up, however, before the road drops back down to cross another meander of the Ohuru, and cross the wide flood plain beyond. A narrow gap in the hills leads to Tokirima in the next valley, which is about as close as the northern section of this road gets to passing a village! Half way up the valley, the road turns and climbs up through some forestry onto another ridge, which offers better views of the surrounding hills. It is steep and twisty at times as the road squirms back and forth across the ridge, before dropping into yet another valley. Ahead lies a long, steep ridge, so the road turns north around the end of it before doubling back southwards. At the apex of the bend, a road turns off north to Ohura - this is the last junction with a surfaced through route, so if you proceed further in a hired vehicle you will have to turn round. It's worth it though!

As the road heads south, it is following a comparatively wide valley floor, allowing the road to become straighter than it has been, and largely avoid sharp bends and gradients. This all changes, however, as the road turns west again at the turning for Haeo Road. It very quickly starts climbing up a side valley, snaking round some tight bends as it gains height. It briefly straightens up a bit, before the next, tighter set of bends above a gorge, with landslip slopes on the other side. The road is nominally two-way, bu a constant trickle of loose material means that there isn't enough room to pass safely on the worst bend.

Tangarakau Gorge

SH43 entering the Tangarakau Gorge

A surprising descent leads in to the Tangarakau Gorge, perhaps the most exhilarating part yet. As the road descends, it gets narrower, the landslip-prone slopes become more frequent, and the single-lane sections are longer. A single lane bridge on a bend is followed by a narrow ledge cut into the cliff, and then another single lane bridge, none of them really offering enough sight-line to see if anything is approaching when giving way. Caution is needed, even if the road is lightly trafficked, but the scenery of the gorge is outstanding. And then it stops - the tarmac that is. A hundred metres round the bend there is room to turn round and head back if you need to.

The start of the Gravel Road

For those who continue, whether from bravery, necessity or a sense of adventure, the road through the gorge is amazing. The steep slopes are clad with dense rainforest, the road rarely straight for long, and the river a constant companion below. In dry weather, the road kicks up clouds of dust, but when wet it becomes clayey and can become rutted. The road is regraded several times a year, perhaps making it surprising that it is not surfaced, but the surface actually adds to the prehistoric feel of the place, even if the few bridges encountered are surfaced.

The road twists and turns, a long looping meander is cut off by crossing the river and cutting over the narrow neck, and then just when you think it will never end, a bridge on a bend leads to a surfaced road as the road emerges from the forest. The journey is far from over, however. A lonely farm is passed as the road continues to wiggle through the valley, and then after a short sharp climb, a tiny black hole lies ahead, hidden in a cleft of the hills. This is the Makahu Tunnel, dug over a century ago to access the valleys we have just come through. Bizarely, the roof is held up with timber trusses throughout, the tunnel sides are bare rock. Fortunately it is straight, as it is single track so the ability to see through and be aware of oncoming traffic is necessary!

Makahu - Stratford

After emerging from the tunnel, the road winds out of the hills and finds a side road running alongside a railway line. Around the next bend is another tiny village - Tahora. After crossing the tracks, the two routes head south towards the head of the valley, the road climbing up and over the ridge while the railway tunnels through below. Again, there are some good views of the surrounding hills from the ridge, and the road stays high while the railway crosses an embankment and plunges through another tunnel down below. Dropping down once more, the road finds a widening valley heading south west, and it seems to be back in civilisation, with more than an occasional scattering of property in view.

Without warning, the valley closes in again, and while the railway seems to have found an easy line on the east side of the river, the road takes the twistier west side of the valley. The two then cross as they reach Whanagmomona, home to a garage, shop, church and hotel, if not much else! Heading west though, we are back in the Forgotten World, as the road climbs steadily around the twisting valleys and then plunges into forest again. A couple of hairpins amongst a series of left-right bends lift the road up a long tortuous ascent, just to drop back down the other side with little hope of a view along the way. As this narrow, twisty pass emerges into the valley at the western end, the railway reappears, having followed a different pass to the north.

Road and railway stick together now, as they follow a series of twisting valleys through the hills in a generally south westerly direction. Again, the road climbs over a ridge while the railway dives through a tunnel, and the pyramidical hills found right back at the start of the route continue to rise up on either side, sometimes open grass grazed by sheep, sometimes densely forested. Not for the first time, the valley starts to open up, the hills peel back and the road straightens up. This time, however, we are nearing the end. The infant Mangaotuku Stream meanders back and forth across the valley floor, leading us south.

The small village of Strathmore lies across a bridge on the east side of the river, while SH43 presses on, turning west with the growing river. However, as the river turns south once more, the road opts not to follow this easy valley floor, but instead crosses the river again and climbs up to cross not one but two ridges - both offering stunning views. There are tight bends and steep hills either side of the short straight across the valley in between. The second ridge is less severe, with a long curving ascent before dropping down in to the tiny village of Douglas.

This, now, really is the last leg of the route. The railway reappears at Douglas, and they head west together, through Toko and on into the broad valley of the Potea River. Ahead, across the broad plain, is the massive conical shape of Mount Taranaki, rising serenely from the landscape, and perhaps best viewed from this direction where the foothills to the west are hidden. But before the road gets too close, the suburbs of Stratford are found, and as the houses give way to a park, and then shops, the road comes to an end on SH3 in the town centre.

History

Up until the early 1990s, SH43 started on SH40 in the small town of Ohura. However, when that route was downgraded to a local road, SH43 was diverted east to its current start point on SH4.