Mangatoi Road and No 2 Road link Te Puke and SH36 Pyes Pa Road. Leaving Te Puke and heading up No 2 Road the gravel starts just before you enter Otanewainuku forest and takes you through the heart of this native beauty.
For me it’s always a pleasure to ride through stands of forest like this. Just before exiting Otanewainuku Forest you link up with Mangatoi Rd (a mix of rural and bush) which takes you the rest of the way to SH30 on gravel.
The road is definitely worth a look if your passing by and is probably the best gravel road around the Te Puke. Otanewainuku Forest is a popular walking destination with the main entrance for walking on Mountain Road which heads North off No 2 Road about 3/4’s of the way through the forest section, so in weekends especially there can be a far bit of vehicle traffic heading to and from the walking tracks.
Contributed by: @black-betty
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Bumpy, Firm, Undulating
Slippery when wet? No
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Beginner
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Beginner
River crossings? No
Thanks for sharing this. I rode it for the first time last weekend. As mentioned, towards the Te Puke end, there was a surprising amount of traffic apparently not expecting anyone coming the other way! Other than that it’s a great ride and not too hard to turn into a larger loop with the gravel heading back to Rotorua from further east.