Taupo to Wanganui via Whakapapa and highway 4.
Written: Apr 25 '03 (Updated Apr 25 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: drop dead gorgeous scenery.
Cons: Winding roads and cloudy skies.
The Bottom Line: Lakes, mountains, rivers and hills.
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| hollynz's Full Review: Central North Island |
Easter weekend is not a good time to be out and about on New Zealands highways as the 4-day weekend attracts lots of holidaymakers and generally, a very high road toll. The roads are usually overloaded with cars and traffic can come to a standstill in some areas. We generally stay home during this time but this Easter we had a family occasion to attend in Palmerston North plus some business papers to get signed in Rotorua. As we live halfway between these two destinations it was a matter of packing up the car and heading on the dreaded Easter road trip
We mapped a route that would take us over some previously undiscovered territory and away from the major highways and the ugly traffic snarl ups. We ended up with a loop taking us from home to Taupo via Rotorua, Palmerston north via Wanganui and back home via Napier and Gisborne.
We arrived in Rotorua around 2pm Friday, stayed long enough to get our business sorted and then carried on to Taupo. We started meeting heavier traffic along this stretch of highway but with lots of wide straight roads and numerous passing lanes, the traffic flowed along nicely. We had been noticing convoys of Classic Cars all over the place and this theme stayed with us wherever we went that weekend, they were polished and gleaming and were a sight to behold.
We arrived in Taupo around 4 pm and thankfully we had booked a motel for the night because the NO VACANCY signs were lit up everywhere. The weather had packed in and it was raining heavily, the day was rapidly disappearing so we grabbed a bite to eat and settled into the motel for the night.
TAUPO
The next day was nicer weather wise but was quite chilly. The sun was trying to come out but it was a bit cloudy and the snowcaps of the distant mountains were obscured by cloud. The lake was a hive of activity with a yacht race underway, lots of water-skiers (brrrr), kayakers, tour boats and float planes here there and everywhere. We grabbed a quick coffee at one of the many lake front cafes before spending an hour or so downtown shopping. For a small town of 21,000, Taupo has more then it’s fair share of shops, restaurants and activities. The streets were full of holidaymakers and the town seemed to be bursting at the seams.
Taupo - http://www.epinions.com/content_71503941252
Around midday we thought we had better get going as we had a bit of travelling to do if we wanted to get to Wanganui before dark.
TURANGI
We joined the traffic on State Highway 1 which took us along the lakefront before heading inland at Turangi.
We turned off the 1 here and joined State Highway 47 which took us through the small village of Turangi. This small town of around 3,500 is situated at the southern end of Lake Taupo, about 52 kilometres from Taupo. The main industry here is farming and forestry but there is a healthy tourism industry here as well. It is an extremely popular town for trout fishing . close to a popular hunting and tramping area as well as being a 30 minute drive from the ever popular ski fields.
There is plenty of accommodation here and a few bars, restaurants and activity rental shops here. You can hire everything from ski gear to kayaks .
TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK.
Passing through town didn’t take long and we turned off the 41 to State Highway 47. The road started to climb immediately and the views of the Lake and plateau country started to open up below us. This is pretty much the beginning of the Tongariro National Park which is the biggest N/P in the North Island. Covering 79,598 hectares this land was originally gifted to the nation in 1887 when Te Heuheu Tukino IV, the Paramount Chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe gave the people of New Zealand 2,650 hectares of the land that surrounded the mountains, this was done with the conservation of this most sacred area in mind and to this day, this land remains as pristine and undeveloped as it would have been 120 years ago.
The park is one of the few to hold duel World Heritage Status in recognition of it’s cultural and natural value.
The area is a trampers delight with tracks and trails of various length and difficulty. For the really serious trampers, there are 3 – 4 day trails with well maintained huts for overnight shelter. The area ranges from native beech forests, open desert tussockland, active volcanic craters and towering mountains so it really is an adventurers delight.
We just enjoyed the scenery from the road and if the weather had been nicer, we would have taken one of the short walks along the way.
MOUNT RUAPEHU and WHAKAPAPA VILLAGE
This is somewhere I have always wanted to visit and hope to return to one day, and preferably in the ski season so I can have a go at skiing. The drive into the village is only 9 kilometres off the highway and didn’t take long at all. The first thing you see is the magnificent sight of The Grand Chateau Hotel. This was built in1929 and is the icon of the area. The hotel is very popular and booking in advance is necessary. Rooms range from STANDARD to SUPERIOR and prices range from $125 -$450 a night.This is $NZ by the way which makes it a pretty cheap sleep if using $US or the British Pound.
The Chateau also has various restaurants, bars and cafes that the public are allowed to access as well so even if you cant afford to stay there, you can still indulge in a little of the atmosphere of the grand old lady.
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There are many other establishments in the village as well as the Chateau, chalet accommodation and a motor camp are available as well as bars and cafes, restaurants, museums, golf course and the Visitors Centre.
We called in to the visitors centre and checked out the displays, picked up brochures and learnt about all the tracks and trails we could hike if we so desired. This is where you make all your bookings for chairlifts, and where you must register if you are heading off on any of the long ( overnight) hikes. The Dept. of Conservation and Search and Rescue require all hikers to fill in their proposed route and number of days they intend to be out in the wilderness so if they don’t turn up to sign out, rescue parties can be mounted.
As the weather was bad and the mountain was clouded over, the chairlifts were closed. In the off season the chairlifts take tourists up to the café at the top of the mountain. We had fancied doing this but not in those conditions, it was freezing cold. We drove the last 6 kilometres to the beginning of the chairlift and became enveloped in a totally different world. The terrain turned form open plain to mountainside with huge boulders and hard rock country with a yellowish gray ground cover like moss everywhere. It was other worldly and a bit surreal. The higher we went the rockier it got till even the sulphur coloured moss stopped growing and patches of snow were glimpsed here and there. At the base of the mountain wooden chalets were knocked up here and there, each representing different ski clubs from around the North Island. There seemed to be lots of people rugged up and wandering around this inhospitable terrain and as it was way too early for the ski season, I had to assume these were holiday makers who thought a long weekend in a cold chalet at the top of Mount Ruapehu was the perfect holiday.
On the way back down we called into the Pihanga Café at the Chateau and had a coffee to warm ourselves up. The wall heaters were on and the place was snug and cosy inside. If we had been hungry we could have chosen a light snack or a hearty meal, all reasonably priced considering the isolated location The flat white coffee was priced at $4 which was reasonable considering it costs $3:50 in the city.
We left Whakapapa and rejoined the highway south, about 15 minutes later the country side started to change back to green pasture again and we started seeing traditional farmland once more.
NATIONAL PARK VILLAGE
This is more a service centre then a town and with a population of only 234, it provides limited services. Geared up entirely toward adventure tourism there is a large amount of ACTIVITY RENTAL SHOPS, you can organise ski trips, scenic flights, rafting trips, hikes and 4 day treks plus much, much more. There is a large amount of accommodation available here for such a small place as well as restaurants, bars and cafes, tour guides, ski shops ~ anything and everything.
It is like an overgrown crossroads as it is placed at the junction of State Highways 47 and 4.
We didn’t stop here but joined the 4 and headed south.
RAETIHI
The only previous knowledge I had of Raetihi was that you can get cheap real estate here. As a tiny town in the middle of nowhere it doesn’t have overly much appeal but comes into it’s own over this ski season. That’s when the place gets full of holidaymakers and all those cheap houses are rented out to young skiers.
Once again adventure activities abound and accommodation is available.
From here we took the long and winding Highway 4 route to Wanganui. This route traverses some extremely hard, backcountry farmland. If you are travelling in a campervan, pulling a trailer, boat or caravan DO NOT take this route unless you are prepared to take a long, long time.
The first section was nice enough, farmland, river valleys and then it started to get noticeably steeper. That’s when I noticed the road sign with the symbol for winding roads and next 52 K pass by.
Did that say the next 52 K or 5.2 K?
I wasn’t wrong, 52 Kilometres of narrow winding roads up and down steep hillsides is a long way to go. It is okay until you catch up to someone going very slowly and with not many passing opportunities, it can become slightly irritating to say the least.
The countryside is hard sheep-farming country and I was surprised to see the sheep spread over those steep hillsides. They looked like sheer cliff faces rather then pasture land but sheep are pretty rugged creatures. The 52 kilometres seemed to go on forever but eventually the roads straightened out once again and the countryside transformed into rolling hills rather then steep ones.
WANGANUI
We got into Wanganui around 4pm and went straight to the motel we had booked. After checking in and unloading the car we thought we would make use of the remaining daylight and check the city out.
With a population of 43,000 Wanganui is considered a moderately sized provincial city. The main feature is the Whanganui River which cuts through the middle of the city. A 100-year-old paddle steamer takes river tours up the river over the summer months. We had arrived in town too late to take a tour but we saw the steamer go past loaded with tourists.
The city centre is picturesque with the main street shopping area planted with leafy trees and hanging flowering baskets. Most of the shops were shut but all the restaurants and bars were open for business.
We had noticed a tall tower overlooking the city when we were driving in and found out that it is open to the public and on a clear day you can see the snow-capped peaks of Mount Ruapehu and Mount Taranaki from the top. The tower on Durie Hill was built as a Memorial to the districts fallen soldiers of World War 1, it stands tall and proud and is open to the public free of charge. The spiral staircase of 176 steps opens onto a turreted roof, which afforded spectacular views. We didn’t get to see the distant mountains though as it was too overcast.
To get to the tower you can either drive or take the DURIE HILL ELEVATOR. We were only just in time for this one as it closed at 5pm. To access the elevator you have to first walk through a long pedestrian tunnel which , along with the elevator, was built in 1919. The elevator is the only earthbound elevator in NZ and there is only one other like it in the world apparently. For $1 per adult and 50c a child, you get to ride to the top of the hill and save your legs. There is a walkway beside the elevator but trust me, save this for coming down… not going up.
There wasn’t much daylight left so we went for a drive along the river, the river side is well maintained and there were plenty of playground areas, picnic areas as well as gorgeous city garden parks.
The 223-kilometers between Taupo and Wanganui takes approx 3 hours driving time; I don’t think I would bother doing the winding stretch of Highway 4 again if I had an option. It is still easily done in one day and if you take a few side trips here and there it can be a very entertaining journey.
We didn’t get to see much more of Wanganui as the next day we had to leave early to get to Palmerston North. We attended the family get together and the following day made the long journey home.
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Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
hollynz
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Member: Christine
Location: New Zealand
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~ In memory of Barbara ~
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