North Range Road runs from the summit of the Pahiatua Track to the eastern end of the Manawatu Gorge. As it runs through the middle of a Wind Farm it gets very gusty and can be very cold.
The North and Southern ends of the track are maintained by the power generation company for service access to the windmills, however the middle section of track is unmaintained and varies from bumpy farm track to foot deep ruts and large muddy puddles of indeterminate depth. The Southern end of the track from the Pahiatua Track tends to have quite deep gravel in places and can be VERY windy.
North Range Road is single lane and can also be popular with 4×4’s so exercise appropriate caution on the tight blind corners.
Be sure to stop and check out the windmill where the track changes from maintained to unmaintained at the southern end, it’s HUGE!
Contributed by: @eddieb
Track type: Dirt/Grass/Gravel track
Track composition: Bumpy, loose, Undulating
Slippery when wet?: Yes
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Intermediate
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Intermediate
River crossings? No
North Range Road may be no more due to the new Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawat? Tararua Highway that is replacing the Manawatu Gorge Road SH3, which was closed in 2017 due to major landslides.
The video below is a flyover of the new route which passes right through the windfarm.
https://youtu.be/ohSv7oz7Tsc
North Range Road will not be affected by the new Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatu Tararua Highway as the new highway is on the other side of the Manawatu Gorge.
North Range Road doesn’t dry out even in the height of summer because there are natural springs seeping water all year round.