Put simply, Waitewhena Road is 33km of awesomeness. Smooth flowing corners, good visibility, good surface and a feeling of being miles from civilisation makes Waitewhena Road a great road to ride.
At it’s North End Aria is the nearest settlement and at the southern end Waitewhena Road comes out in the almost abandoned town of Ohura, once a lively prison town and later a mining town but now even the train line that passes through is closed. A ride down Ohura’s main street is worth a quick look, what might have once been a small but bustling settlement now only has 2nd hand stores open, neither of which look like they do much business.
Waitewhena Road ties in well with Huia – Roto Road at the Ohura end. Make sure you have enough petrol before riding Waitewhena Road, there are no services at either Aria or Ohura, and from Ohura it’s 50 km’s to the next gas station in Taumaranui by the shortest route.
Contributed by: @eddieb
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Smooth, Firm, Undulating
Slippery when wet?: No
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Beginner
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Beginner
River crossings? No
The road West from Ohura through to Ahititi is also gravel, and is excellent, well made and flowing with a good surface. Goes right past the end of Kiwi road, making a great option for a longer loop ride
Some recent pictures of Waitewhena Road. Ridden at the end of April 2017. Definitely a very good ride.
28/05/2017 The bridge (therefore the road) at the south end of Waitewhena Rd is close for replacement. We tried to get past but couldn’t.
The one over the railway line?
Yes the one over the rail line.
Rode this N-S on 11/1/21. An excellent bit of road with nice scenery. Road currently in very good condition, albeit with a fair bit of loose surface gravel in some places.
Got a nice history lesson from a long time resident at Ohura.
Road from Aria to SH43 has many shiny patches of tarseal, now melting nicely in the summer heat. Felt the back slide out once, despite riding fairly sedately.