Republic Day in Whangamomona

The tiny village of Whangamomona is situated approximately half way along SH43, romantically called “The Forgotten World Highway”.  The village declared itself a republic in 1989 following a boundary dispute, and holds two yearly presidential elections, issued passports and generally has a whole heap of fun.  We were there for the 2013 Republic Day and together with many others, joined in the celebrations.  But first we had to buy our passports and get them stamped, to ensure our safety and allow our entry on Republic Day. 

  

Our passports for the day

Border Control

The normally quiet, sleepy village was filled with people and stalls selling all sorts of wares lined the street.  There was a lot going on, from rural pursuits such as shearing, wood chopping and sheep dog trials.  Helicopter rides were on offer for those with deep pockets.  Then there were the more “Whanga” styled activities, such as possum skinning, whip cracking, gum boot throwing and the sheep race down the main road. The “Gut Buster” race was keenly contested by young and older participates, with some running in bare feet.  Down the road they went, up the hill, along the ridge, around the macrocarpa tree on the skyline, back down the hill at break-neck speed, and then the winner came loping back up the street to stop just outside the pub

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Start of the Gut Buster race

The aptly named “Shrek”, the corridale sheep who had been hiding away whenever the annual shearing gang came calling,  had several years growth of wool weighing him down.  This all came to an end when the shearing exhibition took place.  Shrek was deftly sat on his rump, and the shearer got to work, taking off all that wool, leaving Shrek looking just like every other shorn sheep when the job was finished.

Taking off Shrek’s long fleece

Then we were treated to an exhibition of blind-folded sheep shearing.  (No, it wasn’t the sheep who was blind-folded, but the shearer).  The young man very cleverly did the whole job with a blind fold around his eyes.

Shearing a sheep blind-folded

There were plenty of stalls selling tasty food for lunch, and we joined the long queue of people and ordered our hot roast pork sandwiches,  These were deftly put together by a team of “Whanga Women” and we enjoyed our lunch sitting on hay bales under a shady tree, watching the crowds go by.

Preparing our hot roast pork sandwiches

Then came the event that I was waiting to see, the sheep racing.  Crowds lined the street, making sure that there were no gaps where a wily sheep could slip past.  Down the far end of town, dust filled the air, and they were off.  Nearer and nearer they ran, not really sure about all these people who were watching and shouting at them.  A farmer on a quad bike and his trusty dog kept them coming.  They reached the pub, and rushed around the corner.  The race was over.

Sheep race, Whanga style

And there they go, some with jockeys

We left the crowds behind and walked back to camp.  The helicopter kept buzzing overhead and the paying customers would be enjoying a birds eye view of the area. This was the first Republic Day we had attended, and it was certainly was an interesting experience.  Wonder who won the Presidential Election?   

Riding the Rails – 20 Tunnel Tour

Today we were taking a trip with Forgotten World Adventures to do their 20 tunnel tour using modified petrol driven golf carts. You can find out more information on their tours here.

There they were, waiting for us just past the rail crossing – our two seater rail carts.  This was the start of our rail adventure, we were off to do a 20 tunnel trip from Whangamomona to Okahukura. 

Our guide Ian gave us a safety talk.  The carts were mechanically quite simple, with a accelerator pedal and a brake, and governed to a speed of 20kms an hour.  With a white headlight, a large red tail light, and a flashing orange light on top of the vehicle, each unit was well lit up and easy to see.  Don’t touch the steering wheel, we were told, a difficult thing for a seasoned driver to remember.  There is no cell phone coverage in this rugged part of the country, and Ian assured us that with his satellite phone we could make a call in case of emergencies.

 

Ready for our rail adventures

Ian went in the first rail cart – all the better to check for obstacles on the track, and wandering stock, he told us.  (And he did – several sheep and a steer had to be chased off the line during the day).  We followed in a row, enjoying the scenery as we rattled along the rails, over the occasional small bridge through the rolling farm lands.

Off we go

Through the first four tunnels we went, they were pitch black and freezing cold.  Luckily the headlights worked well, and we followed in the wake of the red and orange lights of the two carts in front of us.

  Through the tunnel and out the other end

We stopped at Tangarakau for morning tea.  There is hardly a trace left of the bustling Ministry of Works town which flourished here during the construction of the railway line.  Further along the line we stopped briefly at Heao, where both ends of the railway met.  A silver spike was ceremonially driven in to the final length of track.  “Look for the silver spike”, our guide told us, “it will be around here somewhere”.  We weren’t falling for that!

The hills were white with flowering manuka trees with their sweet smell filling the air, and beehives were dotted around the paddocks.  Our lunch stop was at Tokirima, with Ian producing our picnic lunch from a couple of chilly bins.  With a hot cuppa, and a crunchy apple to finish, we were well catered for.  We all squeezed into the shade of the old wooden station building to shelter out of the hot sun while we ate our lunch. 

Lunch stop at Tokirima

A top dressing plane repeatedly buzzed by, dropping his load of fertilizer on the nearby paddocks.  Peter and Geoff waved excitedly as the plane roared overhead.

Watch out above

We certainly weren’t expecting a prison visit on our rail tour – but that is what our stop at Ohura gave us.  Just a short stroll from the railway line, the former Ohura Prison is now a motor camp, and customers aboard the rail trips are invited to check out the prison cells and use the ablutions.  We each bought an ice-cream from the camp shop and happily licked them to death on our stroll back to the rail carts.

The former Ohura Prison

Some of the tunnels were bone dry, we noticed, while others were dripping with water.   Several of the later tunnels were brick lined, with the bricks being made locally.  They  varied in length from a short 57m with the longest and final tunnel being a whopping 1525m.  The temperatures dropped dramatically inside the tunnels, and the final extra long tunnel had quite a turn built in so that we could not see the lights of the cart in front.

Final tunnel on our trip

The last stop on our trip was Okahukura, and we watched in interest as Ian lifted up the rail wheels back and front, then drove the carts on their rubber wheels and put them into storage till the next day’s trip.

Disengaging the rail wheels

We were loaded onto a mini van for a bumpy return journey to Whangamomona, but not before Robin had purchased a memento of the day.  Here he is sporting his new Forgotten World Adventures cap which shows the route of the rail line. 

Memories of the rail trip

This is a trip we would thoroughly recommend as we had a excellent day with a well run organisation and an extremely affable and knowledgeable guide in Ian. A great way to see part of the country that passenger trains seldom travelled. Congratulations to owner Ian Balme for his vision in creating such an unique rail adventure.

Whangamomona – here we come

Climbing up and over four mountain saddles, State Highway 43, dubbed as “The Forgotten World Highway”, stretches 150km between Stratford and Taumarunui.  The road took 50 years to complete and was opened in 1945, and is dotted here and there with the remains of settlements.  The towns supported the many men who worked on constructing the railway line between Stratford and Okahukura.  This wonderfully historic piece of road was the first Heritage Trail to be established in New Zealand, and takes travellers through spectacular scenery.  We were stopping for several nights at the tiny settlement of Whangamomona,  situated about halfway along the route.  

 

Start of the Forgotten World Highway at Stratford

Up and over the Whangamomona Saddle

Our five vans trundled into Whangamomono Motor Camp hoping there was room for us all, as we had been unable to make contact with the camp manager earlier in the week.  Luckily there were power sites to go around, a bonus after we had spent the previous three nights camping off power at Hawera.

All hooked up to power in camp

The historic Whangamomona Hotel is the heart and soul of this tiny place.  The present hotel was built in 1911, replacing the previous pub which opened in 1902 and burnt down 8 years later.    A local story tells that the hotel was once sold with a wife transferred as part payment.  The building also served as a hospital during the 1919 influenza epidemic.  We remembered the current friendly owners from our previous visit here three years ago, and booked a table for dinner for our group the following evening. 

 

The famous Whangamomona Hotel

Geoff, Jenny and Robin enjoying an ice-cream in the pub

The arrival of mail was always of great importance to the early settlers and postal facilities opened in 1895 at McCluggages Store ‘just along the road.  The old Post Office building took over these duties some years later.  It was opened in 1912 and closed in 1988, and now looks very sad indeed.   

Old Post Office building

Walking back to camp from the pub we noticed an awful lot of empty derelict houses along the street.  A friendly goat bleated at us as we walked by, looking for a bit of company, it seemed.  In fact, there were goats everywhere – guess they are used as lawn mowers in this part of the world.

It will be early to bed for us on our first night in camp – we are off on our “Forgotten World Rail Adventure” in the morning.  Should be great fun!

The Forgotten World Highway – Day 2

Oh dear – Don and Pamela got a rude awakening this morning. The rain had been pouring down for hours when we noticed that Don had left their driver’s car window down. Robin rushed over to bang on their door to let them know while I rather sneakily got my camera out. Sorry Don, but you did look funny in all that rain. Bet the car was soaking wet inside.

Who forgot to wind the window up the night before?

We hitched the caravans up and started on Day 2 of our trip along the Forgotten World Highway. As we left the village a very sensible sign had this advice for us.

We all negotiated the Moki tunnel without any mishap. Just had to stop the car and jump out to take our photo of our car and caravan exiting the Hobbit Hole.

Coming through the Hobbit Hole

Farmers on the road asked us to stop to let a huge mob of sheep come though so we pulled our vehicles and caravans over to the side of the road. The sheep were absolutely sodden so must have been walking quite some way along the road in the rain. They were quite worried to see this strange lady with a camera standing in the road looking at them, so I quickly stepped back beside the caravan. No, they were still too scared to move. The dogs were let out and soon had them moving along. We came across two more mobs of sheep travelling further up the road so there were plenty of them on the move.

Where’s that lady with the camera gone?

We drove through the lovely Tangarakau Gorge on the only unsealed portion of this road. The rain had eased to a gentle fall and wisps of mist hung at the tops of the hills. This area is pristine and has never been milled, we were told. It was just so beautiful and New Zealand would have been completely covered in trees just like this before the settlers arrived.

Tangarakau Gorge

The Forgotten World Highway ended at Taumaunui, a total of 150 kms. It was a wonderful drive, one that we had long wanted to do. We had travelled up and over 4 Saddles with spectacular views, through farm land, native forests, tiny little settlements, and of course Whangamomona. It was like a trip back in time, and we thoroughly enjoyed every part of the journey.

Whangamomona Hotel

A meal at the Whangamomona Hotel was a must, we decided. We booked a table and set off to soak up the ambience and history of this iconic building. The current hotel was built in 1911 and the walls are lined with a wonderful assortment of old photos and documents. Animal skins, antlers and timber saws decorate the bar. Back in 1988 the residents met here and made the decision to announce their independence and Whangamomona was declared a Republic!

Whangamomona Hotel

Most of our group ordered the very large Whanga burgers, while Eileen and I decided to try the burger special of Pukeko, Pig and Punga. After all, where were we ever to get the chance to try pukeko again? The meals were very tasty, and we had excellent service. Our enthusiastic young waiter told us that he had grown up here, and had only recently returned to Whangamomona. He was finding it a little difficult living without his cell phone and internet connection! (No cell phone coverage in this rugged part of the country).

Something different for dinner

The proprietor was very friendly and was interested in where we had come from. Don’t you get lonely way out here? one of our table asked him. No way, not when he can serve up to 100 meals a day, he replied. He made us feel very welcome, answered all our questions about local history, and we will certainly recommend his establishment.

Enjoying our meals at the pub

The motor camp manager had spruced himself up, saddled his horse, and trotted up the road to the pub. He was enjoying yet another beer as we went outside. “Want a ride on my horse?”, he asked the ladies. No we didn’t. “Would you like to buy a foal?”, was the next question. No thanks again. Seems that the horse knows the way home when the hotel closes.

Camp man and his horse

Camping in the Republic

Camp grounds at Whangamomona

Formerly the local school, the campground at Whangamomona now doubles as the local Domain grounds. There is a large children's play area with slides, swings and climbing frames. A unfilled swimming pool was tucked around the side of the main building. This camp is on rain water, so a $2 charge is made for the use of showers. We had to make sure to keep the gate closed, to keep the goat and the camp manager’s horse safely inside. A couple of chickens were happily pecking around in the grass looking for insects and any crusts that came their way. We put our caravans on site and retired under a shady tree to eat our lunch. Robin and Peter set the cameras on the delayed timer and then quickly ran back to their seats so that they were included in the photos.

As it was early afternoon we decided to go for a drive further down the Highway and check out the narrow Moki Tunnel before we towed our caravans through the following day. The tunnel was proposed by Surveyor Joshua Morgan in the 1890’s but construction did not start until 1936, under the Public Works scheme. It must have been quite a job using the two jack hammers powered by a coal fired, steam driven compressor. The coal was supplied from the local coal mine at Tangarakau Gorge. Later in the construction a diesel powered air compressor was used. Moki tunnel is known locally as Hobbits Hole, and the floor was lowered in 1989 to allow access for triple decked stock trucks. It is easy to see the tool marks on the tunnel sides, and the ceiling has a strong frame of locally milled timber.

The drivers announced that there would be no trouble towing the caravans through this narrow tunnel the next day – just as well, I thought, or we would be in a spot of bother. If stock trucks can get through, we certainly can. We turned the cars around and drove back to camp, arriving just in time for 4zees.

The Forgotten World Highway – Day 1

Leaving Stratford in the morning we turned right onto Highway 43, the famous Forgotten World Highway. Our special adventure begins here!

Follow this sign

We could see the picturesque Mount Egmont peeping out from cloud cover as Geoff and Robin went about their business at the dump station just out of Stratford. Across the road the stock yards were bustling as cattle were moved into pens for the day’s sale. Over 2000 sheep were expected shortly, one of the men told me, and the stock agents all aim to get their customer’s stock auctioned early. It was going to be a busy day at the stock yards.

Mount Egmont hiding under cloud cover and the stock yards getting ready for sale day

Dairy herds grazed in lush pasture as we drove through Toko and Douglas, with balage (wet hay wrapped up in plastic coating) stacked in the paddocks ready for winter feeding. We drove up and over the Strathmore Saddle (saddle = ridge between two summits) the first of four natural saddles along the highway. The 6500 ha Te Wera Forest was on our right, and the Stratford to Taumarunui railway line wound along on our left. Road works are everywhere, even on the Forgotten World Highway. We had to stop on one of the many hills till road worker turned his sign around to “Go” and waved us on.

Road works on Hwy 43

Then it was up and over the Pohokura Saddle with a very steep grade on the downward side. The valley was used as a railway construction campsite when this line was being laid. No more farmland was in evidence as we approached The Whangamomona Saddle. The hills were covered in beautiful native bush and the sounds of cicadas filled the air. Another hard climb up and over the Whangamomana Saddle and before too long we were approaching Whangamomona, also known as the Valley of Plenty. We approached the Whangamomana Border Control office with trepidation, but as it was unmanned, we drove quickly past.

The Border Control office

Whangamomana declared itself a Republic in 1988 when the locals were unhappy when the local district boundaries were shifted, without any consultation. Republic Day is held every two years in January, and up to 5000 visitors travel to the village to join in with the locals to celebrate. Country activities such as sheep racing, gumboot throwing, whip cracking and possum skinning all take place in the main street. Presidential elections are held, with the honour previously going to Billy the Goat, and Tai the Poodle.

Whangamomona village has a Historic Places Trust precinct rating, and there are a number of buildings being restored. It is like stepping back in time, New Zealand as it was in an earlier age.