Having a full day to get to Whanganui for a conference gave David Coxon an opportunity to explore some of the coastal side roads that he usually ignores in his haste to get the next destination.

My first detour was to the beach at Tangimoana.  I turned off SH1 south at Sanson and followed an attractive sealed road that ran through the township of Tangimoana and right down to the beach.  Here I engaged 4WD for the first time as I reached the sandy entrance track at the Rangitikei River mouth.  Coming around the gap in the sand dunes and onto the beach there was a feeling of fresh air and spaciousness, and the breezy but beautifully sunny day was begging me to take off south down the beach – not something I wanted to risk on my own with so little traffic about. 

I did drive out towards the sea but found that there was a steep drop from the driftwood-covered sandy plateau I was on, down to the beach itself.  Not wanting to dig a track to get down to the beach, and then take the risk of not being able to get back up, I decided to return to the dunes by the entrance for lunch.  I soon discovered that this was easier said than done. 

All tyre tracks looked the same and one piece of driftwood-covered beach looks very much like another, however, I eventually managed to weave my way back to my starting point where I found a comfortable piece of driftwood and settled down to a very peaceful and isolated lunch. 

Scotts Ferry’s Ferry!

My next destination was  Scotts Ferry on the other side of the Rangitikei River mouth, but to get there I needed to go via Bulls to get across the Rangitikei River.  Rather than retracing my route to SH1 I followed the more direct minor road that ran from Tangimoana to Bulls, then headed out of Bulls for Scotts Ferry. 

Scotts Ferry is a very tidy little coastal community at about the same location as the original port of Rangitikei that served the district from 1850 until major flooding in 1897 silted up the river, forcing the port to close.  When the port was active there was a ferry across the river run by Thomas and Anne Scott, from which the current settlement takes its name. 

On the way out of Scotts Ferry I found the forestry road I had hoped to use for a backroad run towards Whanganui, but it was gated and locked.  It was therefore back to Bulls and a run up SH3 to Turakina where I headed to the coast at Koitiata. 

A holiday feel

Koitiata was a fairly substantial settlement with a holiday feel and good beach access.  I took the opportunity to lock in 4WD again and work my way through all the driftwood to the beach to get some views up and down the coastline. 

Finally arriving at Whanganui with plenty of time to spare I did a last detour in the opposite direction taking one of the No Exit roads that head eastwards into the hills off SH4 just north of the city.  The green grassy hills were a pleasant change from the beaches, and while the hoped-for ridgeline view did not eventuate it was a pleasant drive with a mix of seal and gravel and some very pleasant views looking back down the valley in the evening light.

It may have taken me over six hours for what is normally less than a three hour drive, but the leisurely pace was worth every minute of it.

To read the full story in the December 2018 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (November 17) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.