Named because this track traverses State Forest 42, this is one of, if not THE, premier tracks in the North Island. Running from Kapoors Road 30km from the eastern end of SH47 through to Owhango village on SH4, it is normally ridden in a South to North direction mainly due to a rock slope/wall approximately halfway through the track which is easier to go down than up.
There are several river crossings on the 42nd Traverse and while they are not particularly technical the depth can range from ankle deep to crotch depth depending on the volume of recent rain and can be flowing quite swiftly so due care and consideration should be given before river crossings. Due to the catchment area it can also take a few days for river levels to drop after significant rain and the track can also be very slippery in places if wet due to a clay base, particular near the southern entrance.
Ten Man Hut
Ten Man Hut is a side track off the 42nd Traverse which should only be attempted by experienced riders on smaller bikes. It tightly winds it’s way through bush up to a 10 bed tramping hut. A separate GPS file and waypoints for Ten Man Hut are included within the 42 Traverse downloads.
Contributed by: @eddieb
Track type: Dirt track
Track composition: Bumpy, Muddy, Undulating
Slippery when wet?: Yes
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Intermediate
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Experienced
River crossings? Yes
Ten Man Hut
Track type: Dirt track
Track composition: Bumpy, Muddy, Steep
Slippery when wet?: Yes
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Experienced
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Not Recommended
River crossings? No, but some very big/deep puddles
This video is a bit shaky, it was filmed with an early low res GoPro camera stuck to the headlight of a very vibey 1981 R80G/S.
128/10/2022 — hey team hows the track looking for this summer, anyone been on it since the heavy rains in aug/sep 2022?
42 Traverse seems closed by slips ATM.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/tongariro-forest-conservation-area/things-to-do/42-traverse/
The slip on the 42nd Traverse has got considerably larger and the track is currently impassable.
from the kapoors road side, you can do 3/4 of the track before a large 80m wide slip.
this will take some time to clear…..but I suspect if it dries out some, full offroad enduro machines and a saw might cut a track across it eventually. it is big with trees everywhere.
doing the first 3/4 is still worth the ride, less traffic now.
Gps coordinates for the slip are:
-38.975, 175.492
You’re not gonna get through sadly. Not without some saws. It’s pretty big and full of large trees .
Image of the slip entering from the East side of the trail
Can be done on a V-Strom 1000 if you are mad enough…
On Postie Bikes? – no problem.
Our loaded Posties made the crossing, 12th Jan 2015.
Great ride that got the bikes warmed up for bigger challenges.
Carb adjust at about half-way –
What’s the condition like ? Suitable for a lone noob rider on a loaded up 800gs ?
I may give it a nudge on Sunday if it stays dry
Not knowing your skills I would say no. Generally good going in the dry but some of the water crossings and the climbs out will be a problem.
Thanks for the reply. I have had a little bit of experience, so may have a look, depending on the weather on Saturday/Sunday. I spoke to a guy today who went through reasonably recently, he said I’d have no troubles.
Cheers
Did you get through okay James?
Hi. That is my story about the 42nd Traverse.
I was starting a trip down to the south island, be a part of the dusty but 2015. I thought ok,now you are here, do the 42nd traverse.
Just one time unfocused and bang. Wash out track.
Just happy, got the bike back and nothing is happen. Lucky me.
My BMW Dakar is hard damaged. And the worst thing…..cant go on the south island. No dusty but for me. ANd that fucks me hard.
Oh Bugger Daniel!
Glad to hear you are ok, what damage was there to the bike?
All Plastic parts on the front. Fender, Main light, clutch lever…..Is not to bad, i hope. But i am just pissed off, cause i cant go now to the south island.
I start today to check what parts i need to fix it.
The pictures don’t look too bad, post some close ups of the damage, it is unrideable as it is? if it’s rideable you could still go.
I could not go further. No front light, no indicator. Hard bent clutch lever. bent shift bar. Leaking fork seal and some of the front plastic parts. Back in Auckland now. Orderd already the parts which i need to fix it.
Next year second try. 🙂
But, i wanna try the 42nd traverse again, but this time without any acrobatic stunts. 🙂
Come on our ride next month then
https://www.adventureridingnz.co.nz/events/207/taumaranui-42nd-traverse-fishers-track-etc-weekend/
Anyone up for a 42nd trip tomorrow or Saturday? Weather looks good, should be dry. I’m planning on hitting it from the Owhango side, coffee at National Park then drive around and do Fishers track so I end up back at National Park.
IS it one way or can you start at the owhango side now? I am looking at doing it in a SxS and would prefer to come back via the 42 rather than driving around the highway
You can go either way, on a motorcycle South to North is considered a bit easier.
I have done it both ways on a dirt bike, tyres will be the deciding factor, about a third of the way in on the North to South direction there is a rocky bank and then a long clay hill to climb.
how long does this track take, one end to the other?
many thanks
This track is currently closed to 4X4’s due to poor track conditions. Making it extremely tough going on a 2 wheel motorbike. I wouldn’t recommend it on anything 650 or larger. for small cc enduro bikes only, unless travelling in a group of very experienced riders.
well, in answer to my own question its a lazy 1:45 roughly each way plus time stopped for scouting out the water crossings, taking pics, etc.
i went through about 3 weeks ago, straight after the last of decent rain. because i was solo and didnt really know what i was in for, i took a 300cc 2 stroke enduro.
compared to what i had seen on youtube, the deep rutted clay sections (towards the southern end i’m guessing) have all been tidied right up by doc. i was surprised at the track condition and in the dry i’d be happy to take my 690 but anything bigger would take the fun out of it for me, and you’d want a few mates to do the pushing i reckon.
Really? As of Jan 2015?
I am thinking of going through in the next couple of weeks on my side-by-side ATV so not a full vehicle but more like a quad bike.
42nd traverse is closed to 4 wheeled vehicles until at least January 8th due to dickheads in 4wd’s pulling apart concrete barriers and going into the track in the wet and ripping it up.
A decision will be made on Jan 8th whether to open the track to 4 wheel vehicles or not depending on track conditions and how wet it is in there.
Yes, information accurate as of a few days after christmas. Track closed to 4×4 vehicles until further notice, due to poor track conditions. there are concrete “tank traps” at each end a few km’s in to restrict the width of vehicles entering down to mountain bikes, motorcycles and quads. You will proably not get a side-by-side in there just now. I travelled the 42 Trav a few days after Christmas on a loaded up 700 Transalp, and it was definately a challenge – person above who says 1 hour 45 mins to get through may be right for a small enduro bike, but for a 650cc or larger adventure bike bank on 3 or 4 hours. It’s very steep, very rough, very slippery and you are going to drop your bike and have to pick it up many times. you will be exhausted. if you are not in a group of other riders to help you, you may not make it at all, and spend the night in the bush. take food, water, change of clothes. It may only be 47km end to end, but it’s not to be taken lightly….
‘@Oscar, would you have a GPS tracklog for getting up to 10 man hut?
‘@granteuk – thanks for that advice. Really helpful.
The 42nd Traverse GPX track and the page description has been updated to include a 2nd tracklog and waypoints for the Ten Man Hut sidetrack.
Hi all,
Update on the 42nd, went through it on Thursday 3rd. Weather was dry and i was on a reasonably loaded DR650. I would strongly advise not to proceed on anything heaver or taller as much of the track is over grown. I approached from the south end which was ok for the first ~5km but then deteriorated with some serious washouts etc and steep slippery climbs [big smiles]. You have to really commit after some of the descents as the soap rock and washouts would not permit you to backtrack. The southern section up to ten man hut section is quite challenging and shouldn’t be approached solo or without sufficient supplies and only on a light bike that is easy to hog around. the only tracks i came across were a four wheeler and push bike [must of taken them days by the signs of camp fires] The section from ten man hut to the northern section is pretty easy but has some nice potholes.
I will upload some footage later
Cheers for the great site!!
I can’t wait to do this ride. I have ridden around the tracks at the southern end quite a few times. Old logging roads. Great fun.But i have never ridden right thru. 10 man hut looks like the go!
42nd Traverse, completed yesterday with a buddy. There has been 126mm of rain last 30 days, 27mm in the last 7 days and 3mm the day before on Wednesday so it wasn’t dry but it could have been worse.
Buddy on the KLR is fairly new to off road riding so comes off his bike at 25 seconds, 1:44, 8:20 and 13:50. Took us 4 hours start to finish as we stopped often and took it slowly.
I found the track in similar condition to my last visit in early 2015 and I had no real trouble on my Transalp and near new knobby Shinkos.
Please excuse the amateur movie making attempt;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmvYl8xEPvM&t=9s
I hope no mirrors were broken in the making of this movie. A good effort all round.
I’ve been riding in the 42 traverse for 25 years and I can say after all that time I still havent ridden all the tracks on the DOC map. The attached pic is a photo of the DOC map and all the coloured in tracks are the ones I’ve ridden…..actually I found another one the other week that I havent put on there. 🙂 I have an old Garmin gps that I dont have the cord (pre USB) to connect it to get the data off.
A group of us went through on Monday, track is in good shape with only a few short sections of mud, despite all the rain we’ve had this summer!
Heading North into into the 42nd traverse at about the 30km mark there is a big washout.
I definitely don’t recommend taking a big bike on that trail until summer or wait till after it gets repaired. The washout is just too steep/slippery to traverse, it was difficult even on a quad with a winch
The XTR125 after getting out of the 42nd.
My Attempt at the 42nd Traverse with the R1200GS
https://youtu.be/UI4QmOqkwo8
Great video and commentary Joao.
Thanks so much for sharing.
This makes me want to fit some knobblies to the DR and tackle this track again (in the dry)!
‘@Scott Livingston, I will be doing this when the weather warms up. It,ll be another weekend trip as @Black Betty and I have unfinished business there.
We’re gonna have a crack at the 42nd this weekend.
how did this trip go @Oscar? is the track in a fair condition for quad bikes?
There’s been some work done, but it’s only gone 15 km or so.
The main problem was that there is a big tree north of the main river crossing.
It is only passable by bikes.
We went up to the 10 man hut and that was pretty good.
True that @Brainflex . Maybe early November? Same plan, but hopefully a different result next time. I’ve just registered the steed and have a couple of new tyres ready to go
Sounds good. I’ll be in touch.
I’m doing this again for the umpteenth time late this November. Been riding in here with Alkylda for the last 25 years
The 42 Traverse ride is but one of a multitude of tracks in there, some are very knarly even when dry.
There is always somewhere to explore and like Alkylda stated, we haven’t found them all yet.
In fact, years ago we found a cave system we explored after parking up the bikes and a dam (there a a couple and we can find one) but we cannot find these places again….
Easy to get lost so you gotta be careful if you go off the main track.
I have ridden a lot of places in my 42 years and this is by far the best place to ride, bar none!
Going to do this both ways on day 1 followed by Fishers track on day 2
I agree it’s an excellent area for trail bike exploring, we’re going there this weekend.
Are you thinking of the Okupata Caves near the old sawmill on Pukehinau Rd? There is a DOC sign on the roadside, we didn’t go far in without a torch.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/tongariro-forest-conservation-area/things-to-do/okupata-caves/
Snow has crushed a lot of bush down onto the side tracks, making them very slow going.
Hows the main track?