Post by habiba123820 on Nov 9, 2024 5:19:30 GMT
We have already said on more than one occasion that New Zealand is not a country to travel by public transport: there is not much on offer and it does not reach many places. One of those places that is impossible to reach by public transport is a scenic road. A road of about 150 km that is known as the Forgotten World Highway , literally “ the highway of the forgotten world ”, although in Spanish it is usually translated as “ the highway of the forgotten world ”. In New Zealand they call anything a “highway” and this is certainly not one…
Forgotten World Highway Forgotten World Highway Jump Bridge
Jumping on a bridge over the Tangarakau River on the Forgotten World Highway
We are referring to State Highway 43 , which links Stratford in the Taranaki region with Taumarunui in Manawatu-Whanganui. A sample of all the natural landscapes of New Zealand – well, not including the coastal ones – bridges, tunnels, towns… Don’t think that it is just the route, you will stopwordpress web design agency a few times. But that is why you travel the Forgotten World Highway , to enjoy it, not to go from one place to another. To get from one place to another on it, there are already those who live in the towns through which it passes – including an independent republic of New Zealand –, you are going on a trip.
Take your time, don't rush, and be prepared for the twists and turns of the Forgotten World Highway . Oh, and the occasional unpaved stretch too. But we assure you that it's worth it.
Saltaconmyadvice
The Forgotten World Highway is one of our must-see places in New Zealand , and keep in mind that we narrowed it down to just fifteen. Check out our mega guide to traveling to New Zealand when planning your trip. And, if you like scenic roads, don't miss the Milford Road .
A little history of the Forgotten World Highway
Just because it's the forgotten world's highway doesn't mean it's so old that it's been forgotten. There's nothing in New Zealand that was built by European settlers that was old. In fact, the highway was first built – on old Maori paths, of course – in the 20th century .
Forgotten World Highway Whangamomona
One of the buildings in Whangamomona
The construction must not have been easy, it is already complicated to navigate it now with its curves, imagine what it must have been like to open it in the middle of the forest, go up and down the steps, cross the rivers or go through the mountains. We will tell you more about it, but we can tell you in advance that there are 180 m of tunnel dug by hand .
Did you know that…?
It was at the beginning of the 21st century when, due to a marketing decision , it was “renamed” as the highway of the forgotten world . Why? Well, it could be because the population in these small villages was very low and few cars circulated on it or because nature was so exuberant that it seemed to have been “forgotten” by man to leave it alone. Whatever the case, the trick paid off and today it is one of the great tourist attractions of the country.
For much of its history, the Forgotten World Highway was itself forgotten and almost abandoned. We're not talking about many years ago: in 2013, the country's police included SH 43 among the ten worst roads in New Zealand . We imagine that popularity among tourists and protests from locals got it noticed. After spending two months driving around Aotearoa, we have to say that we didn't find it that terrible - although we didn't drive the whole thing, we'll tell you why now. There was even a stretch under construction, to widen the road, when we went.
The route of the forgotten world highway: where to stop?
We have already said that the road connects Stratford with Taumarunui and it was in that direction that we travelled along it. Well, in that direction and only part of it. Those works that were widening the width of the road, together with the desire to see the Taranaki volcano in all its splendour and the beginning of the unpaved part of the road, led us to turn around at the bridge next to Joshua Morgan's grave, after about 90 km of travel . In fact, they had told us at the Stratford tourist office that it was closed and that we could not go any further. When the workers told us that we could... we had our moment of doubt.
Forgotten World Highway Forgotten World Highway Jump Bridge
Jumping on a bridge over the Tangarakau River on the Forgotten World Highway
We are referring to State Highway 43 , which links Stratford in the Taranaki region with Taumarunui in Manawatu-Whanganui. A sample of all the natural landscapes of New Zealand – well, not including the coastal ones – bridges, tunnels, towns… Don’t think that it is just the route, you will stopwordpress web design agency a few times. But that is why you travel the Forgotten World Highway , to enjoy it, not to go from one place to another. To get from one place to another on it, there are already those who live in the towns through which it passes – including an independent republic of New Zealand –, you are going on a trip.
Take your time, don't rush, and be prepared for the twists and turns of the Forgotten World Highway . Oh, and the occasional unpaved stretch too. But we assure you that it's worth it.
Saltaconmyadvice
The Forgotten World Highway is one of our must-see places in New Zealand , and keep in mind that we narrowed it down to just fifteen. Check out our mega guide to traveling to New Zealand when planning your trip. And, if you like scenic roads, don't miss the Milford Road .
A little history of the Forgotten World Highway
Just because it's the forgotten world's highway doesn't mean it's so old that it's been forgotten. There's nothing in New Zealand that was built by European settlers that was old. In fact, the highway was first built – on old Maori paths, of course – in the 20th century .
Forgotten World Highway Whangamomona
One of the buildings in Whangamomona
The construction must not have been easy, it is already complicated to navigate it now with its curves, imagine what it must have been like to open it in the middle of the forest, go up and down the steps, cross the rivers or go through the mountains. We will tell you more about it, but we can tell you in advance that there are 180 m of tunnel dug by hand .
Did you know that…?
It was at the beginning of the 21st century when, due to a marketing decision , it was “renamed” as the highway of the forgotten world . Why? Well, it could be because the population in these small villages was very low and few cars circulated on it or because nature was so exuberant that it seemed to have been “forgotten” by man to leave it alone. Whatever the case, the trick paid off and today it is one of the great tourist attractions of the country.
For much of its history, the Forgotten World Highway was itself forgotten and almost abandoned. We're not talking about many years ago: in 2013, the country's police included SH 43 among the ten worst roads in New Zealand . We imagine that popularity among tourists and protests from locals got it noticed. After spending two months driving around Aotearoa, we have to say that we didn't find it that terrible - although we didn't drive the whole thing, we'll tell you why now. There was even a stretch under construction, to widen the road, when we went.
The route of the forgotten world highway: where to stop?
We have already said that the road connects Stratford with Taumarunui and it was in that direction that we travelled along it. Well, in that direction and only part of it. Those works that were widening the width of the road, together with the desire to see the Taranaki volcano in all its splendour and the beginning of the unpaved part of the road, led us to turn around at the bridge next to Joshua Morgan's grave, after about 90 km of travel . In fact, they had told us at the Stratford tourist office that it was closed and that we could not go any further. When the workers told us that we could... we had our moment of doubt.