Off to Taumarunui – on the Main Trunk Line

Leaving the delights of Whangamomona behind us, we rejoined the Forgotten World Highway (SH43) with just a little trepidation.  The little village was the lunch stop for several hundreds of motor cyclists who were taking part The “Chateau to Plateau” bike ride.  We were not too keen to meet them en masse as they came screaming around corners along the narrow windy road, and were advised to leave camp about 1.00pm when most of the riders would have arrived.  Although a fair few bikers had already arrived in Whanga, we still had to contend with quite a stream of them on the road.  Luckily, by the time we arrived at the 16km stretch of unsealed road, not another biker appeared.

.  Bikers on the road

Driving carefully through the narrow Moki tunnel – hewn out of solid rock, we parked for a moment as we exited, hoping that no further motor bikes would come careering around the corner.  This tunnel is also known as the “Hobbit Hole” and certainly deserved a photo opportunity. 

Romany Rambler coming through the Hobbit Hole

The steep sided rugged Tangarakau Gorge was covered in dense native bush and ferns, giving a glimpse into how this country appeared before the settlers started their tree felling to clear the land.  And we quickly skirted Herlihys Bluff which had large signs warning, “Falling Debris, do not loiter or park on bluff”.  Finally, we were at the end of SH43, and arrived at our destination of Taumarunui, the meeting place of the Wanganui and Ongarue rivers, and the largest town in the Ruapehu district.  The town is well known for it’s railway history, and the railway wagons doing duty as a fast food outlet are well remembered from visits here over the years.  Taumarunui was the archetypal railway town and was a refreshment stop for passenger trains on the main trunk line as they travelled up and down the North Island – but sadly from 2012 the train no longer stops here.

 Here’s a few lines from the famous song written by Peter Cape:

  

You can get to Taumarunui going North or going South,

And you pull in there at midnight and there’s cinders in your mouth,

You’ve got cinders in your whiskers and a cinder in your eye,

So you pop off to refreshments for a cuppa tea and pie,

In Taumarunui on the main trunk line

  Railway carriages used as fast food outlet

The trains may no longer stop at Taumarunui, but we saw this one go merrily on it’s way towards Wellington.  Instead of the passengers getting off at various stations along the way for a cup of Railway tea and a meat pie, trains these days have a well set up refreshment car on board.