Venture down some of New Zealand’s roads less travelled. (more…)
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Easy access to the back of beyond is one of the great joys of living in New Zealand. But you need a reliable workhorse to get you there and back again.
Many of the country’s best drives are in fragile environments, so it’s important that drivers stick to formed tracks to avoid damaging any vegetation or harming any wildlife.
The 207-kilometre inland route from Blenheim to Hanmer Springs offers a good range of driving challenges and alpine scenery and for those keen on doing a round trip, 4WD vehicles can turn onto the Severn to Sedgemere track at Red Bridge. This takes drivers (who have asked for permission from the land owner) through the Rainbow toll road, on to St Arnaud and back to Acheron Road, which is open from 7 am – 7 pm from 1 October to around Easter. Roads can be closed for all the usual reasons, but on Rainbow Station, it might be closed for Defence Force exercises, so make sure to check.
The trail gets its name from the original ‘State Forest 42’ and it’s a one-way 46-kilometre drive through the Tongariro Forest Conservation Area. It’s open to 4WD vehicles between 1 December and 30 April and it takes you down an old logging road through regenerating native forest. There are a number of stream crossings, so keep an eye on the weather. It’s also very popular with mountain bikers and walkers, so keep an eye out for humans, too. A slip has closed part of the road so the end-to-end experience isn’t available to drivers until a safe bypass is built.
The Pisa Conservation Area covers more than 23,000 hectares of sub-alpine landscape and can be accessed between November 1 and April 1 (these dates can change) from either the Cromwell or Cardrona Valley side of the range. Vehicle users need to complete the online access application and receive approval from DOC and as some of the roads cross private or pastoral lease land, consent (and maybe even a gate key) is also needed from the landowners.
The most accessible track on the list, this shared area around the south coast of Wellington offers a mix of culture and nature, and there’s enough challenging terrain to keep the more experienced off-roaders interested. From the Te Kopahou visitor’s centre, you’ll drive past Red Rocks, past a few old baches and towards the seal colony and World War II bunker at Sinclair Head (the trail is not open to vehicles on Sundays). Here you’ll need to go through the ‘Devil’s Gate’ and from then on things get a bit more technical. Tongue Point, where you can look out at the old Karori Lighthouse, is a good place to turn around.
The Next Gen Triton is built for offroad adventures like these. It’s tougher on the outside and features new levels of comfort on the inside. For more information about the new Triton, visit Mitsubishi.co.nz.
Black-Backed Gulls
Meth & HIV in Fiji
Dung beetles
Centro
Rogaining
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