Tangahoe Valley Road is a 14 km tar seal and gravel road near Hawera, Taranaki, that goes through the Tangahoe Valley Tunnel to Pukekino Road and on to Lake Rotorangi.
On leaving Ararata Road the route quickly goes into the Tarere Forest following 6 km of meandering tar seal which then transitions into a papa clay based gravel road for the next 8km to the short climb uphill to the 160m long Tangahoe Valley Tunnel.
Exiting the Tangahoe Valley Tunnel the road drops into a valley and becomes Pukekino Road which leads to an inlet of Lake Rotorangi. Pukekino Road hugs the side of a spur following the lake until it finally reaches the Lake Rotorangi campground and boat ramp of the Hawera Waterski Club. The area has a few trails heading up to the surrounding ridge lines.
The gravel road is generally well maintained but sees a lot of logging, beekeeping and recreational traffic so it can experience some deterioration of the road surface depending on the season. Caution would be advised after a long wet spell as the papa clay can become slippery.
Contributed by: @dcy (Dave Young)
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Bumpy, Loose, Undulating
Slippery when wet? Yes
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Beginner
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Intermediate
River crossings? No
This is a superb ride that takes in one of the Taranaki Tunnels and is accessible to everyone. The only struggle might be for beginner riders on large bikes bigger than 1000cc when during a wet spell the hill after the tunnel is prone to getting damaged and slippery.
A few locals take their guns with them but obviously get a bit frustrated with the imposed speed limit on the bridge crossings. ;o)