Mangahao Road takes you 20km into the Tararua Ranges behind Shannon in the Manawatu past the Mangahao hydro power station and up to 3 reservoirs used to power the station.
The road ends at the uppermost reservoir and is mainly used for maintenance of the reservoirs and by hunters so traffic is normally very light, however every few years there is tree-felling in the area that means large trucks could be using the road. The track is single lane and can be rutted and steep in places so as usual caution is advised, however it’s not usually difficult.
As you head into the hills there are a couple of places where you can pull over and have some great views back over the Manawatu, and there are a few side tracks to can be explored.
Contributed by: @eddieb
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Bumpy, Firm, Undulating
Slippery when wet? No
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Intermediate
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Intermediate
River crossings? No
Must go back up there on a better day. It was raining and foggy when I did it. Ended up with a punctured K60 rear too from bouncing off the rocks.
So it looks like someone had an oopsie up here last week.
From Stuff.co.nz: https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/127188616/motorcyclist-airlifted-off-tararua-range
Reports are that a large slip has landed on Mangahao Road and left a blockage as big as a house with heaps of trees on top of the road just after the power station.