Taranaki e il circuito del campeggio della Forgotten World Highway

Nuova Plymouth e la montagna

Usa New Plymouth come base affidabile per carburante, cibo e una giornata costiera. Le nuvole di montagna cambiano rapidamente, quindi percorri i sentieri più bassi quando la visibilità o il vento rendono i percorsi esposti una scelta sbagliata.

I sentieri del Parco Nazionale di Egmont non sono campeggi intercambiabili. Rimani solo dove è consentito l'uso notturno e utilizza i consigli di accesso esatti per la pista e il veicolo.

Da Stratford a Whangamomona

Fai il pieno a Stratford e considera l'autostrada come l'esperienza di una giornata. Le sezioni asfaltate e non asfaltate, i ponti stretti e le curve strette si adattano a un ritmo calmo piuttosto che a un orario di arrivo target.

Whangamōmona ha alloggi e capacità di campeggio limitati. Conferma la serata in anticipo, in particolare in prossimità di eventi, e porta con te il cibo per le ore in cui le piccole attività sono chiuse.

Taumarunui e il ritorno

La gola di Tangarakau e il tunnel Moki richiedono l'attenzione di veicoli larghi o alti. Conoscere le dimensioni del camper e fermarsi prima di qualsiasi sezione che non fornisca un'autorizzazione sicura.

Taumarunui ripristina i servizi ordinari e apre le rotte verso Tongariro o Waikato. Controlla la fatica prima di aggiungere un'altra lunga tappa, perché la breve distanza dell'autostrada nasconde un'intera giornata di concentrazione.

The Forgotten World Highway is a commitment

State Highway 43 runs roughly 150 kilometres between Stratford and Taumarunui with no fuel along it, a section of unsealed road through the Tangarakau Gorge, and a single-lane tunnel. It takes far longer than the distance implies and there is no way to shortcut out of the middle.

Fill the tank at either end, carry water and food, and check the road status before setting out. It is a fine drive in reasonable weather and an unpleasant one in heavy rain.

Whangamōmona is the reason to go slowly

The self-declared Republic of Whangamōmona, with its own passports stamped at the hotel, is the highlight of the route and a genuinely good pub stop. The Republic Day celebration runs biennially and fills the village completely, which is either the reason to go or the reason to avoid those dates.

There is a small camping area and the hotel has rooms. Either is a better plan than trying to drive the whole highway and reach a town at the far end in one day.

Mount Taranaki is a serious mountain

The Pouākai Crossing and the summit route look approachable from the road and are not. Taranaki has a high fatality record, weather that changes within an hour, and terrain that becomes genuinely dangerous in cloud. It is not a mountain to attempt casually.

Check the forecast for the mountain rather than New Plymouth, tell someone your plan, and turn back early. The lower walks around Dawson Falls and the Kamahi loop give you the forest and the views without the exposure.

New Plymouth is underrated as a base

The Coastal Walkway runs 13 kilometres along the waterfront, the Len Lye Centre is genuinely good, and the city has the services to reset a trip properly before or after the highway. It works far better as a two-night base than a single overnight.

Use it to do laundry, restock and check the mountain forecast before deciding which of the Egmont walks to attempt. The weather often makes that decision for you.

The Surf Highway and the coast

State Highway 45 loops around the western side of the mountain between New Plymouth and Hāwera, and it is a far easier drive than the Forgotten World Highway with a string of surf beaches along it. Ōakura, Ōpunake and Kina Beach all have camping and the coastline is consistently good.

The contrast is the point of a Taranaki loop: the mountain in the middle, forest and farmland on the eastern side, and a run of black sand surf beaches on the west. Doing both sides makes it a proper circuit rather than an out-and-back.

Cape Egmont lighthouse and the coastal road around Pungarehu give the classic view of the mountain rising straight out of farmland. It is best in the early morning before cloud forms on the summit, which it usually does by late morning.

Rail carts and the tunnel

Operators run rail carts along the disused Stratford to Okahukura line, including through the Hobbits Hole tunnel, which is a genuinely unusual way to see the country the highway passes through.

These need booking ahead and run to a schedule rather than on demand. If it appeals, build the day around the departure time rather than hoping to fit it in.

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