David Coxon was in his element when asked to run a gentle back road trip around the Wairarapa for a group of Land and Range Rover owners.
After some careful planning and liaison with Greg, the NZLR organiser who was sorting out the trip promotion and accommodation, I had a two-day route planned that took in a network of back roads without being too far from a main road should problems arise.
The trip started with a meet-up at Martinborough for a quick coffee and briefing. Before we started on the first on-road section I was presented with a pair of Land Rover badges, one to cover the Toyota logo on the grill and the other to convert the ‘Landcruiser Prado’ badging on the rear door into a ‘Land Rover Prado’ badge. I was now a pseudo member of the Land Rover fraternity.
With a couple of rather elderly ‘Series’ Land Rovers in the convoy, the 80km/h trip across to Gladstone and down towards Flat Point on good sealed roads felt very leisurely, at least until a few radio messages suggesting the use of low range on one of the long, steep descents reminded me that not all the vehicles were up to the modern standard.
Just before Flat Point we turned off, heading north parallel to the coast on a reasonably well-maintained gravel road. When we stopped for photos at the one high spot with good visibility up the coast, there was also an impromptu competition over whose vehicle was the dustiest – being at the front I hadn’t noticed it, but the road was about five cm deep in dust.
We followed this road all the way to the Riversdale road where, by popular request, we took a detour to drive through Riversdale. A beach access track at the southern end of Riversdale gave us a perfect opportunity for lunch on the beach, with the soft sand providing a bit of a challenge for some.
Leaving Riversdale we headed to Tainui, taking a few backroads to avoid too much main road driving at 80km/h. Our plan to take the direct and very scenic route to Alfredton was nearly derailed when I saw a sign about road closures, but luckily these were for a motorsport event the following week.
There was also a sign warning of logging trucks, which hopefully would not be an issue on Saturday afternoon, although when we stopped to enjoy the view near the top of the first climb we parked off the road ‘just to be safe’. That was a good decision as we soon heard the sounds of a very heavy vehicle approaching, and a fully-laden logging truck and trailer slowly appeared around the corner, taking every inch of the road as the driver negotiated the tight turns.
From Alfredton we diverted out to Eketahuna for fuel and a real coffee before returning to tackle our final trip for the day. This final route was to follow unsealed roads up to the ridge line of the ranges to the north of Route 52, then cross a final saddle on an unmaintained route before dropping back down to our overnight accommodation at Otapawa.
Otapawa was an excellent base with plenty of rooms in the shearers’ quarters, space outside for those that wanted to camp, and a very comfortable common area and kitchen. They even put on an excellent dinner for those wanting the full service. And the next morning we were given a short 90 minute tour up to a high point on the farm.
With rain threatening we left Otapa, returning briefly to Route 52 before following a series of windy mainly unsealed roads out to the coast at Akitio. This was a very scenic section, and with much less dust in the slightly damp conditions, something the back half of the convoy certainly appreciated.
We took a quick break at Akitio but the conditions were not the best on the beach so we postponed lunch until a more sheltered location. Some sealed roads and a couple of increasingly dusty backroad loops eventually brought us out at the Waihi Falls car park with its sheltered picnic tables and views of the falls.
With lunch and exercise completed it was then a steady climb up to the top of the ranges and down the valley to Coonoor. A brief stop at Pipinui Falls gave a break from driving, but the falls themselves were far less impressive than Waihi Falls.
Overall a very successful trip, and one that was well-appreciated by the participants. Despite not having a Land Rover, I may even be approached to run another one in the future.
New Zealand Land Rover Forums (NZLRF) is a nationwide group of Land Rover enthusiasts interested in all Land Rover vehicles from the oldest to the latest. Membership is free and caters to all owners, including those who never take their vehicle off road, and those who run dedicated off-road vehicles. Apart from sharing experiences and expertise they also run trips nationwide, hold owners' meetups, and allow non-commercial private trading of both parts and vehicles.
For more information please contact NZLRF via their website www.nzlrf.org.nz or join their Forum www.nzlrf.org.nz/forum. However most interaction between owners is on the four main Facebook groups covering the Land Rover and Range Rover model range, which can be found from the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nzlrf/groups (while you're there, give it a Like!)
NZLRF is not associated with the Land Rover brand; they are an enthusiasts group only.
To read the full story in the March 2019 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (February 18) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store
