Heard of the "Bridge to Nowhere" in Taranaki?  What about the identical "Bridge to Somewhere", also in Taranaki?

We had quite an eventful weekend in January 2003 up to the "Bridge to Somewhere" and the "Republic of Whangamomona Independence Day".  What?  A republic in New Zealand.  You're right.  Each year, the tiny settlement along the Forgotten World Highway (aka SH43) celebrates its "independence".  We started our journey from Te Wera and took the Aotuhia-Whangamomona Road (yes, it is a public road that you enter at your own risk!) to Whangamomona.

With a new bridge built, the road don't suffer from vertigo (200m sheer drops in several places), the views are excellent.  You feel a world away from civilisation.

As you can see from the photos, 4WD isn't just about driving.  Apart from the usual digging, the things we had to do on this trip included putting a small bush fire, findiing ways to fool the clever horses so that they stay on the right side of the farm gate and building tracks - skills that a townie would not normally have!

Henry at the Bridge to Somewhere

Edith at the Bridge to Somewhere

Putting out a small bush fire

Better be stuck than roll 200m down the bank 

With only a few inches on either side

How do we move these clever horses? 

Arriving at Whangamomona

Polling booth at Whangamomona

Read before you drive

Day two (Aotuhia Station)

We woke up to the news that our trip leader had a wee accident overnight while travelling back to the camp via the back road around midnight (imagine negotiating the narrow, rutty, dusty track in the dark but no, the accident happend after the truck was back on gravel).  So we were split into two groups - those with extra recovery gear such as a winch had the chance to practise their recovery skills - getting a truck that had rolled off a 20m bank back onto the track!  Having viewed the accident scene, the rest of us without the extra recovery gear journeyed on to the 2,500 hectare farm laced with pungas.

There were narrow bridges to cross, tight corners to turn, knee-deep bogs that needed to be drained and bridged, and orientation.  After lunch, the group decided to go for a walk and look for a waterfall.  The two farm workers who guided us on the tracks had no idea where the waterfall was and only pointed us towards the general direction where it was meant to be.  We scrambled through the bush and finally found the waterfall.  Just before reaching the waterfall, we noticed some orange markers.  Despite this, we still had fun finding our way back.  Ironically, it was a boy called Holmes who led us home, and the group discovered that the starting orange marker was right in front of one of the trucks (not ours)!

PERSEF resting belly up in the stream, 20m down the bank

The Bridge to Somewhere from a distance

Colin & Verity directing a tight turn

Another narrow bridge to cross

Found the waterfall at last!

Henry negotiating a tight bend

What's waiting if you roll

Track building at a boggy patch

Punga logs bridgenearly finished

Henry crossing the boggy part

One of the tunnels in the forest

Day three (Ernie's Place)

After a good night's sleep, we started the day by heading towards Waverley and made a trip to see the legendary Ernie.

In his eighties Ernie is as fit as a fiddle.  He has been living on a farm tucked away at the end of the Moeawaea Valley, inland Waverley, since the 1950s.  Ernie has no phone, no electricity, no TV and no car but a wide collection of items around his property.  His letterbox at the farm gate is 14km from the house.  It took us 45 minutes just to get back to the gate from Ernie's house on a rainy day.  Can you imagine walking 30km to collect your mail?  The track to Ernie's place is closed in winter.  With the typre pressure down to 20psi, we were still sliding a bit. There're magnificent views and steep gorges on the way but it just would not be possible or prudent to stop for photos!

Ernie's Place