On Tuesday morning it was a bit of a grotty start to the day, although I had a great nights sleep camping by the river. My plan for the day was to do the Forgotten World Highway which is another name for SH43 which links Taumaranui and Stratford. Before leaving Taumaranui I had a look round the town before hitching a ride out with surprising ease. If I had the ability to drive I would have made several stops along the way to do some bush walks and stop at lookouts, but the road was incredibly remote and not the kind of place you would want to get stranded. If had money to spend as well I would have alternatively done a tour with Forgotten World Adventures who hire out these golf buggy things which you can use to travel along the old railway line as an alternative way of exploring the area!
My one planned stop en route was Whangamomona, and after a lovely drive which included passing through gorges, forested valleys, and even a 180m long wooden tunnel, with several views of the endless hills I arrived in the Republic. I say Republic because Whangamomona declared independence from New Zealand in 1989 as a protest to the town being moved from the Taranaki region to the Manuwatu-Wanganui region. It was interesting exploring the town, and I even went to the famous Whangamomona hotel for a couple of beers where I went through passport control and met the current president. Former presidents include a goat and a poodle!
After leaving Whangamomona I hitched a ride to Stratford, passing over a few saddles en route with more brilliant views of the endless hills. Stratford has a Shakespearean influence with the town named after Stratford-upon-Avon, and all the streets named after characters in Shakespeares plays. A particularly iconic building was the glockenspiel which on the hour produced a performance of Romeo and Juliet which was fun to watch. From Stratford I headed to Hawera, making it there in two rides. Hawera just simply had all the amenities I needed, although it did have this interesting water tower. After getting everything I needed I headed to Waihi Beach on the coast near Hawera which was my camp for the night. There was a great sunset in the evening which I watched from the beach.
The following day my plan was to hitch along the Surf Highway which in other words is SH45 which links Hawera and New Plymouth along the scenic route. From Waihi Beach where I was camping I did a walk along the coast to Ohawe Beach which went along the beach beneath these sandstone cliffs. You could see how quickly they were eroding and the result of this made them pretty dramatic. From Ohawe Beach I headed back to SH45, my next stop Opunake. I got there in two rides, stopping en route in Manaia which is apparently the bread capital of New Zealand!
In Opunake I had a quick look round the town before doing a walk along the coast which had some more pretty coastline. After Opunake my next intended stop was Cape Egmont Lighthouse, which is the western most point on the North Island. I found hitching a ride like most of the day challenging as the road was pretty fast and bendy so it was hard to find places where people would stop for you. Eventually I got a ride to Rahotu where I just decided to walk to Pungarehu where the road to the lighthouse begun. When reaching the lighthouse it was pretty disappointing as it was privately owned so I couldn't go right up to it. It was still cool though.
After getting back to Pungarehu, my final stop for the day was Oakura. I was half hoping I would make it to New Plymouth in a day but it was slow day in terms of hitchhiking and SH45 didn't actually follow the coastline so accessing the coastline each time took longer than expected. I could have got there if I missed out Oakura but I decided I would camp there the night before heading to New Plymouth the following morning. In Oakura I walked along the beach which was a massive and more busy one to the SS Gairloch shipwreck. It was an interesting wreck which I explored before heading back along the beach to this creek for a swim, camping nearby.
On Thursday morning I woke up after having a great nights sleep, with the plan for the day being to get to New Plymouth and relax once there. As I was only about 15km along the coast from there in Oakura I decided to walk there by following the coastline. That was easier said than done however as the beach had several creek crossings and was very rocky in places which made progress slow. It was a nice and wild stretch of coastline though. Eventually I made it to Back Beach and the Sugar Loaf Marine Park which was a series of little islands off the coast, dominated by the Paritutu Rock. I climbed the rock and the views from the top were great with an aerial view of the islands and New Plymouth. Mount Taranaki was still shrouded in cloud however.
From Paritutu Rock I dropped down into New Plymouth following the coastal walkway via the port and Ngamotu Beach to the city centre. From the city centre I continued along the coast past East End and Fitzroy Beaches to the Rewa Rewa Bridge over the Waiwhakaiho River. On a clear day the mountain views from here are meant to be stunning but there was no luck. On the way back to the city centre I passed Lake Rotomanu, having a look round the city when arriving. The wind wand sculpture on the beach front was particularly interesting.
After spending the previous 6 nights camping I thought it was time to get a proper bed for the night, so I checked into a hostel. My tent has been a good investment though as it completely cuts out accommodation fees meaning my only expense is therefore food. The downfall however is not getting proper showers and power facilities, something I needed as my power bank was dead and my tablet and camera were heading in that direction too. It was nice to have a more relaxing evening, although I did have to prepare myself for the following couple of days with the plan being to hike in the Mount Egmont National Park.
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