A contractor puts the finishing touches to new seal on SH43 at Tangarakau Gorge. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
In the end of an era for New Zealand land transport, the last stretch of metal road in the country's State Highway network has been tarsealed.
Contractors are this week putting the finishing touches to 12 kilometres of tarseal through the remote Tāngarākau Gorge on State Highway 43 in East Taranaki.
Otherwise known as the Forgotten World Highway - SH43 - connects Taumarunui in the King Country to Stratford in Taranaki.
The windy 150-kilometre route passes through rugged country, climbs three saddles and includes the Moki Tunnel, aka the Hobbit's Hole.
Up until now motorists have also had to contend with a metal road through the Tāngarākau Gorge.
President of the self-proclaimed Whangamōmona Republic is now a fan of the new road. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
John Herlihy, president of the self-proclaimed Whangamōmona Republic, has set up camp at the famous hotel with which it shares its name.
He was initially against sealing the road.
"It was one of the only unsealed highways in New Zealand and it's a bit iconic, and it's only 11 kilometres, if it was 50 or 60 I would've said fire ahead.
"But I've changed my mind and the boys have done a real good job and it's lovely and smooth and all the tourists love it now.
"Some of them are scared of metal roads. They shouldn't be, but they are."
His one reservation now was that motorists would drive too fast .
"As long as people slow down and take their time. You know that's probably my biggest worry people go faster and faster and they'll end up over the side.
"Because it was gravel and people were scared of it, they did tend to come through at 30 or 40 kilometres an hour."
Tom Gallagher had only driven his classic Corvette through the gorge because the road was sealed. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Tom Gallagher had driven through the gorge in his 1958 Corvette on his way to the Americarana festival in New Plymouth.
He was travelling with a group of five classic cars which were only there because the road was now sealed.
"We've been waiting for it for years, but we don't take our cars off the seal. So, we've been waiting for it to be sealed and we knew it was going to be done about this time, so we said right this is when we are going to do it.
"So we've been waiting and waiting and it is just fantastic. The views coming through from down there when the mist cleared and the sun came out were just wonderful."
Forestry manager Dan Hales though the $13m would've been better spent maintaining the existing road. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
But forestry manager Dan Hales, who was working at the Whangamōmona Hall, was not a fan of the $13 million project, which was paid for through the Provincial Growth fund.
"Why couldn't that money be put into the existing road? You know our wheels and tyres sometimes get buggered and need replacing because of potholes on the current sealed road.
"So, they've gone and spent all that money to make it easier for tourists or whatever and I personally don't think it's made the place a lot busier."
Project manager Sree Nutulapati says the remote and contlstrained nature of Tangarakau Gorge made it a challenging job. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Project manager Sree Nutulapati was in charge of tarsealing the gorge.
It was not without its challenges.
"It is a remote and as you can also see because we've just driven through here, it's a constrained work environment and it's only 4m wide at certain sections.
"So, if you put a grader and a digger in you can hardly get past one another. So, it has been challenging, slow work."
He said there were steep drop offs on the Tangarakau River side of the road and motorists would still need to take care.
"It's still windy and even though it's a 100kmh speed environment, I would still recommend you drive slowly because it is still quite narrow.
"Some of the sections, even though it is sealed, are only five metres wide when ideally on a state highway you would have about seven metres."
Back in Stratford mayor Neil Volzke said sealing the Tāngarākau Gorge was the culmination of 60 years lobbying.
"It's an important road State Highway 43 it links Stratford and the Taranaki region to Taumarunui and that's quite a popular tourist route now, but it will become much more so now the road has been sealed.
The gravel road in 2017, before it was tarsealed. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The business case for sealing the gorge forecast a boost to tourism across Taranaki of between $35 million and $45 million dollars which would create up to 60 jobs.
Volzke did not expect and immediate change.
"I don't see it like someone turning on a tap and it will be wonderful overnight, but over time that will increase significantly.
"It's actually part of a bigger picture this is now a direct link to the centre of the island, so if you're doing the Tongarriro Crossing you've got a direct link across to Taranaki and then to do our crossing. So we see lots of potential in that."
An average of 170 vehicles a day used the Forgotten World Highway now and with the gorge sealed it was estimated traffic would increase 15 percent, bringing vehicle numbers close to 13,000 a year.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
