Ultimate Driving Road
Discussion
I posted this thread on NZHondas and thought it was worthwhile posting here too.
Now, if any of you haven't seen the first episode of the 10th season of Topgear you should.
(Might I suggest starting here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rec05t6t5pc&mod...
Now, the lads go in search of the world's best driving road, arriving at the conclusion that the stretch from Davos to Stelvio, is quite possibly "it".
I was thinking though, can we do better in New Zealand? I've actually not found MANY great stretches of road in New Zealand on this calibre, but European petrolheads who holiday here REALLY rate our driving roads, so there MUST be some gems out there.
so I've started this thread with the aim of the collective knowledge of NZH members to catalogue some of our finest driving roads, so that others can seek them out and enjoy them. If possible, describe it and provide a location (or better still, a google-map or similar) to show where it is and how to get there.
RULES:
Criteria should be:
Now, if any of you haven't seen the first episode of the 10th season of Topgear you should.
(Might I suggest starting here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rec05t6t5pc&mod...
Now, the lads go in search of the world's best driving road, arriving at the conclusion that the stretch from Davos to Stelvio, is quite possibly "it".
I was thinking though, can we do better in New Zealand? I've actually not found MANY great stretches of road in New Zealand on this calibre, but European petrolheads who holiday here REALLY rate our driving roads, so there MUST be some gems out there.
so I've started this thread with the aim of the collective knowledge of NZH members to catalogue some of our finest driving roads, so that others can seek them out and enjoy them. If possible, describe it and provide a location (or better still, a google-map or similar) to show where it is and how to get there.
RULES:
Criteria should be:
- Entertaining - can't be here just because there's huge straights... has to be judged on the entertainment factor of the roads.
- Empty - No point a road being like heaven in bitumen if it's a major state-highway that you can only enjoy at 3am on a Tuesday. If it's going to be chock-full of logging trucks (yes Ben I'm glaring at YOU) and there's little opportunity for safe overtaking, then it doesn't count. For example, the Manawatu Gorge would be an AWESOME road, but you can't enjoy it EVER because it's always filled with people doing 40km/h.
- Lack of fuzziness - Can't enjoy a road where you're paranoid about PC-Plod spoiling your fun (not saying I or NZH condone illegal driving, but I prefer to enjoy my "drives" while keeping both eyes on the road, not with a paranoid eye on the speedometer)
- Road condition - Want the sort of road you can enjoy without having to take the 4WD because of potholes, speedbumps, extreme camber and gravel. Gravel roads will be allowed expressly if they're there in more of a "rally" sense.
- Aesthetics - The road has to have SOME beauty to it. No point hammering around a road that's got no dramatic scenery to accompany it... think of it as requiring SOMEWHERE you could stop along the way to do an impromptu photoshoot to take as a memento of the journey.
My first vote (off the top of my head):
Cambridge to Taupo (one of the back ways).
This drive is one I picked up a while back. It takes no longer to do than the main drag down SH1, sections of it are often nearly completely empty.
Really, the GOOD bit is actually Cambridge to Mangakino. Mangakino to Taupo is a bit dull (although not bad), but since not many people are likely to recognise Mangakino, I figured I'd extend the drive to Taupo. Nowadays I don't bother to take SH1 if I'm in the Lotus, that's reserved purely for the Wagon
Here's a KMZ file for Google Earth that will show you where the road is:
http://www.jsr.com/~dinks/Misc/George/Cambridge%20...
(download the file and open it with Google Earth)
Directions: Get into Cambridge from the north, instead of following SH1 left at the roundabout, go right through Cambridge until you cross the river. Turn RIGHT at the T-junction. Follow this road along for a while until you see "Lamb Street" on the left. Alternatively, you can follow the signs to "Karapiro" but this will take you through suburbia and chance of getting lost here is higher.
Once on Lamb street, you're sorted. This will take you out to Maungatautari Road. This takes you out towards Lake Karapiro, and you'll follow the lake / Waikato river most of the way down, but on the OPPOSITE side to what you would on SH1. This early part of the joruney is okay, reasonably inremarkable, but VERY picturesque.
At Oreipunga Road, follow this around to the right, don't take Maungatautari road around to the left. Oreipunga road starts to get interesting. The road gets VERY narrow in places (so much so that you think you're going up someone's driveway), but it's entertaining, a good mix of twists and loooong straights!
Follow this to the end. This meets up with Arapuni Road, which forks in from the right, you're now on Rotongata Road, heading south.
Follow this until you hit Waipapa road, coming off to the right. This (from memory) can be an easy one to miss, so keep our eyes peeled. Waipapa road is the beginning of the BEST leg of the journey.
Waipapa road gets VERY good where it starts to arc back towards the Waikato river. The 10-15km stretch or so from the Waipapa dam into Mangakino, is nothing short of awesome.... picturesque and very twisty with some nice dips and elevations.
From here you'll bypass Mangakino and carry on Waipapa Road, which becomes Whakamaru Road (SH30). After 8km or so Turn right at Tihoi Rd (SH32) and it's a pretty easy run into Taupo from here. There are a few twisty bits into Taupo from here, but nothing really awesome.
So there, that's one of my votes. Quite possibly not the best road I've driven (I'll have ot think harder), but it gets points for being a very picturesque journey in places, as well as being a very useful way of actually getting to Taupo (as in it's the sort of road you can incorporate into a boring journey to make it more interesting). It's nearly always deserted of other traffic, although I've never done it on a big weekend like Easter or Labour Weekend.
I'm sure I'll think of others and I'll post them up.
Cambridge to Taupo (one of the back ways).
This drive is one I picked up a while back. It takes no longer to do than the main drag down SH1, sections of it are often nearly completely empty.
Really, the GOOD bit is actually Cambridge to Mangakino. Mangakino to Taupo is a bit dull (although not bad), but since not many people are likely to recognise Mangakino, I figured I'd extend the drive to Taupo. Nowadays I don't bother to take SH1 if I'm in the Lotus, that's reserved purely for the Wagon
Here's a KMZ file for Google Earth that will show you where the road is:
http://www.jsr.com/~dinks/Misc/George/Cambridge%20...
(download the file and open it with Google Earth)
Directions: Get into Cambridge from the north, instead of following SH1 left at the roundabout, go right through Cambridge until you cross the river. Turn RIGHT at the T-junction. Follow this road along for a while until you see "Lamb Street" on the left. Alternatively, you can follow the signs to "Karapiro" but this will take you through suburbia and chance of getting lost here is higher.
Once on Lamb street, you're sorted. This will take you out to Maungatautari Road. This takes you out towards Lake Karapiro, and you'll follow the lake / Waikato river most of the way down, but on the OPPOSITE side to what you would on SH1. This early part of the joruney is okay, reasonably inremarkable, but VERY picturesque.
At Oreipunga Road, follow this around to the right, don't take Maungatautari road around to the left. Oreipunga road starts to get interesting. The road gets VERY narrow in places (so much so that you think you're going up someone's driveway), but it's entertaining, a good mix of twists and loooong straights!
Follow this to the end. This meets up with Arapuni Road, which forks in from the right, you're now on Rotongata Road, heading south.
Follow this until you hit Waipapa road, coming off to the right. This (from memory) can be an easy one to miss, so keep our eyes peeled. Waipapa road is the beginning of the BEST leg of the journey.
Waipapa road gets VERY good where it starts to arc back towards the Waikato river. The 10-15km stretch or so from the Waipapa dam into Mangakino, is nothing short of awesome.... picturesque and very twisty with some nice dips and elevations.
From here you'll bypass Mangakino and carry on Waipapa Road, which becomes Whakamaru Road (SH30). After 8km or so Turn right at Tihoi Rd (SH32) and it's a pretty easy run into Taupo from here. There are a few twisty bits into Taupo from here, but nothing really awesome.
So there, that's one of my votes. Quite possibly not the best road I've driven (I'll have ot think harder), but it gets points for being a very picturesque journey in places, as well as being a very useful way of actually getting to Taupo (as in it's the sort of road you can incorporate into a boring journey to make it more interesting). It's nearly always deserted of other traffic, although I've never done it on a big weekend like Easter or Labour Weekend.
I'm sure I'll think of others and I'll post them up.
Hmmm, some of my favourite better known roads...
Crown Range
Kawarau Gorge
Queenstown-Glenorchy
Te Anau - Milford Sound
Haast Pass (most of the SI west coast for that matter)
Lindis Pass is very nice but not as consistently tight and twisty as some of the others. Good flow to it though, you just have to go a bit quicker to have fun.
Theres a few fun twisties on the Otago Peninsula:
And a few gravel ones for the rallying-inclined...
Waipori Gorge (~30min south of Dunedin, heads inland towards Lake Mahingerangi)
Taieri Beach Road (same area but turn towards the sea at Waihola, then carry on up the coast road back to Dunedin from Taieri Mouth afterwards)
Backline Road (just ask anyone from South Canterbury)
I'll have a play on google earth sometime after my next exam, or maybe just mark them on map screenshots like I did with that Otago Peninsula one a while ago.
P.S. From what I've heard about the Stelvio Pass, while nothing in NZ can compare for sheer scale (2758m altitude at the top, 40-50 hairpins on each side) many people complain that there's just too much traffic on it most of the time to have any real fun. Its an amazing achievement for a road built in 1820 though, did a small research assignment on it recently and the grade control on the north side especially is very impressive for the time - consistently around 8-9% most of the way.
Crown Range
Kawarau Gorge
Queenstown-Glenorchy
Te Anau - Milford Sound
Haast Pass (most of the SI west coast for that matter)
Lindis Pass is very nice but not as consistently tight and twisty as some of the others. Good flow to it though, you just have to go a bit quicker to have fun.
Theres a few fun twisties on the Otago Peninsula:
And a few gravel ones for the rallying-inclined...
Waipori Gorge (~30min south of Dunedin, heads inland towards Lake Mahingerangi)
Taieri Beach Road (same area but turn towards the sea at Waihola, then carry on up the coast road back to Dunedin from Taieri Mouth afterwards)
Backline Road (just ask anyone from South Canterbury)
I'll have a play on google earth sometime after my next exam, or maybe just mark them on map screenshots like I did with that Otago Peninsula one a while ago.
P.S. From what I've heard about the Stelvio Pass, while nothing in NZ can compare for sheer scale (2758m altitude at the top, 40-50 hairpins on each side) many people complain that there's just too much traffic on it most of the time to have any real fun. Its an amazing achievement for a road built in 1820 though, did a small research assignment on it recently and the grade control on the north side especially is very impressive for the time - consistently around 8-9% most of the way.
Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 21st October 15:19
The best roads also have the joy of being able to see a couple of bends ahead so the South Island rules. The roads from Blenheim and Nelson heading to the West cost have this in buckets. There are some nice open twisties on Banks Peninsula heading down into the bays.
In the North Island most of the bits I know are short and carry more traffic. Hmm. The newly sealed road that runs from Wellsford to Kaiwaka ish parallel to SH1?
Cheers
Mark Stacey
In the North Island most of the bits I know are short and carry more traffic. Hmm. The newly sealed road that runs from Wellsford to Kaiwaka ish parallel to SH1?
Cheers
Mark Stacey
The road on top gear dont look like that much fun to me. Sure it looks like a great road but its also really narrow and Id imagine theres plenty of places where at best youd have to assume nothing was coming the other way.
Probably the best road Ive found is SH4 between Waitomo and Wanganui. Ive only done it once but I really enjoyed it. When I went through it had a few washouts on it which have hopefully been fixed by now. Also the corner speed signs were really inconsistent. Otherwise it was a lot of fun. Would have been better in something other than a 1.3 Toyota Starlet full of luggage too
Probably the best road Ive found is SH4 between Waitomo and Wanganui. Ive only done it once but I really enjoyed it. When I went through it had a few washouts on it which have hopefully been fixed by now. Also the corner speed signs were really inconsistent. Otherwise it was a lot of fun. Would have been better in something other than a 1.3 Toyota Starlet full of luggage too
Best road for the driving experience i've found in NZ is from Ettrick(Central Otago)to Heriot.
Its not too good the other way as its just too hard on the brakes, ceramics an exception i'm sure!
Its a monster climb for the first 9 kms, a mixture of high speed and low speed corners, not many straights and a level of comitment that brings out either the best or the worst in us.Most importantly, theres very little traffic.
Might be worth adding that unless you have several hundred hp its probably going to leave you wanting much more.
Visible from google earth for those that like pace notes
Its not too good the other way as its just too hard on the brakes, ceramics an exception i'm sure!
Its a monster climb for the first 9 kms, a mixture of high speed and low speed corners, not many straights and a level of comitment that brings out either the best or the worst in us.Most importantly, theres very little traffic.
Might be worth adding that unless you have several hundred hp its probably going to leave you wanting much more.
Visible from google earth for those that like pace notes
pawsmcgraw said:
Best road for the driving experience i've found in NZ is from Ettrick(Central Otago)to Heriot.
Its not too good the other way as its just too hard on the brakes, ceramics an exception i'm sure!
Its a monster climb for the first 9 kms, a mixture of high speed and low speed corners, not many straights and a level of comitment that brings out either the best or the worst in us.Most importantly, theres very little traffic.
Might be worth adding that unless you have several hundred hp its probably going to leave you wanting much more.
Visible from google earth for those that like pace notes
Hmmm, I'm based in Cromwell as of early November, might have to go check it out once I'm up there...Its not too good the other way as its just too hard on the brakes, ceramics an exception i'm sure!
Its a monster climb for the first 9 kms, a mixture of high speed and low speed corners, not many straights and a level of comitment that brings out either the best or the worst in us.Most importantly, theres very little traffic.
Might be worth adding that unless you have several hundred hp its probably going to leave you wanting much more.
Visible from google earth for those that like pace notes
[opens up google earth]
Edited by GravelBen on Monday 22 October 05:51
Another of my favourites is Camp Road. It goes steeply down the hill from Larnach Castle to the harbour by Dunedin.
Its only a couple of ks long but its full of hairpins etc. Highcliff Road is well known as a good road but this is more technical and alot sharper than Highcliff Road which is alot open and faster.
Its only a couple of ks long but its full of hairpins etc. Highcliff Road is well known as a good road but this is more technical and alot sharper than Highcliff Road which is alot open and faster.
Kylie said:
Lindis Pass in the warmer non icy months
Its fun in winter too if you have 4wd! I had a good laugh on one trip through there when the snow was cleared off the lanes but still in a pile down the centreline, the twitch and spray of snow as you pull out through it to pass people who don't realise the clear, dry lanes aren't actually covered in ice...
Great fun 
alex.tvr said:
Did this one yesterday.
http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/The-Forgotten-World-Highway.html
http://www.windwand.co.nz/heritagetrail.htm
A real ripper Alex although found I had had ewnough fun twenty (long)minutes from the end. I remember estimating my eta based on distance and knowledge it was super twisty. It took a full 40 minutes longer than predicted!http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/The-Forgotten-World-Highway.html
http://www.windwand.co.nz/heritagetrail.htm
Favourite in order
1. South Island. Inland Coastal Road. Waiau to Kaikoura. Challenging sealed in last 5? years so still unknown (and longer time wise - unless you are on song). Very sweet
2. North Island. SH4,Raetihi to Wanganui. It doesn't get any better.
Will add to this later.....bed time.
3. Milton to Lawerence (but still main-ish road - although unlikely to get pinged on the bends. Upset a SS Holden but acccelerating up the straight on Sat in Kylies 206 S16. Never saw him again after corner three....
1. South Island. Inland Coastal Road. Waiau to Kaikoura. Challenging sealed in last 5? years so still unknown (and longer time wise - unless you are on song). Very sweet
2. North Island. SH4,Raetihi to Wanganui. It doesn't get any better.
Will add to this later.....bed time.
3. Milton to Lawerence (but still main-ish road - although unlikely to get pinged on the bends. Upset a SS Holden but acccelerating up the straight on Sat in Kylies 206 S16. Never saw him again after corner three....
Couple of roads around East Cape are very good.
SH2 from Opotiki to Gisbourne is a great bit of road, taking you through a very twisty gorge for about 60km. Did this at 5pm on a summers evening and saw virtually no cars at all.
For the more adventurous in the same area is Motu Road. Drive out of Opotiki on SH35 towards East Cape and a few km out of town turn right into Motu Rd. This is mostly gravel and used to be one of the longest stages on the Rally of New Zealand (before it was ruined with the current format) and was where Colin McRae gained a big lead helping him win the rally. 65km of twisty gravel roads climbing high into the hills. One of the best rallying roads in the world.
SH2 from Opotiki to Gisbourne is a great bit of road, taking you through a very twisty gorge for about 60km. Did this at 5pm on a summers evening and saw virtually no cars at all.
For the more adventurous in the same area is Motu Road. Drive out of Opotiki on SH35 towards East Cape and a few km out of town turn right into Motu Rd. This is mostly gravel and used to be one of the longest stages on the Rally of New Zealand (before it was ruined with the current format) and was where Colin McRae gained a big lead helping him win the rally. 65km of twisty gravel roads climbing high into the hills. One of the best rallying roads in the world.
Gassing Station | New Zealand | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff