Hanging out in the Heartland
Having enjoyed several of NZ Adventures’ excellent South Island four-wheel-drive trips, when the opportunity arose to join a North Island ‘Heartland’ tour, we jumped at the chance. En route to Feilding, where the trip was to begin, we detoured past Piopio where we’d heard of some amazing rock formations and an attractive waterfall. Our four-wheel-drive trip was to be a back-road rather than an off-road experience so our diversion along the narrow, winding road to Mangaotaki Scenic Reserve and Waitanguru Falls gave us an idea of what might be in store. However, the outstanding landscape, stunning autumn foliage on the deciduous trees and the falls themselves made the experience well worthwhile.
I’m constantly amazed at roadside remnants that reflect the scope and variety of our pioneer history. There are several cases in point near Mangaweka, where we headed to the following day: huge concrete blocks stand out on the left when descending the long steep hill south of Taihape. They’re bases of what was once, at 288m, the longest viaduct on the main trunk line, dismantled in 1981 due to land instability and replaced with three new viaducts when the Mangaweka deviation was built.
On a side road near the bottom of the hill, and not far from the 116-year-old cantilevered road bridge spanning the Rangitikei River, the only one of its type in New Zealand, turn left and there’s a good view of one of the
