This route takes you from Twin Bridges on State Highway 15 and brings you out at the bottom of the Waipoa Forest on State Highway 12. While it follows three roads – Waimatenui, Kikohe and then Malbourgh roads. The roads merge into one another and the route runs in a pretty straight line over the ranges.
Riding through here provides three quite distinct experiences. The road starts off following along side the Mangakahia river through picturesque farmland in a sheltered valley. The road is quite narrow and in places feels more like a farm race than a public road. From here you climb out of the river valley to a high plateau where it is open skys and you are met with the full force of the weather (wind and rain on the day I was there). The third section sees you traveling down a wide road surrounded by native forest with glimpses of views across deep valleys between the trees.
Even though this route consists of public roads maintained by local councils, I have rated it as intermediate due to a few psych factors. 1. Wondering stock. With a bank on one side and a drop off on the other getting past five cattle proved a little more challenging than usual. 2. Riding west to east, keeping left has you are on the side of the road where the edge drops away into the valley. This can be disconcerting if you are low on confidence or don’t like heights. 3. The most significant factor in setting a rating was the crushed river stone surface on the uphill section of Marlborough road. The rock will break down with time, but for now, the rock chunks run for five to ten kilometres and are quite deep in places. For this section, you need to be quite comfortable with riding on a loose moving surface.
Contributed by: @david_palmer
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Steep, Loose, Undulating
Slippery when wet?: No
Suitable for bikes > 650cc Intermediate
Suitable for bikes < 650cc Intermediate
River crossings? No
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RILDtKHUtkM