Thread: Forgotten Highway

Originally Posted by sportco62

Its i the process of being sealed now. Which will ruin the charm of the journey.
Very historic past in the area , and some interesting folk who live there now

interesting is the word Wanga is a mix of real hardworking cockys and then well the green fingered types who in fairness do keep a low profile ( just dont want attention ahh ) but they are a minority - okay to deal with provided ya dont ask to many questions - but their bloody dogs pitbulls Dogos bigger uglier the better

SIL has a mate with good dogs. 12 yrs ago it was "there's a mob of 300plus goats on the back pastures, go shoot them all please". Now its "we get $65 +- a head at the goat, just shoot the ones with big balls that defeat the dogs" lol, and grab a couple of meaties for yerself.

Any locals want problem goats shot on the FWH area give me a yell. I have good local references and a couple of young fellas with experience who are a lot fitter than me..

It's my go to drive now between home on the coast here and heading to Turangi. Might only be 10-15min more drive time at the most than going Mokau/Piopio but I find it so much more relaxing with barely any traffic. Last trip home I even picked up a young French couple on the edge of Taumaranui (barely see any hitchhikers these days). Stopped for a break at the Whanga pub so they could take it in a bit. It's a great bit of the country. And yeh, riddled with goats.

My stepbrother managed a farm there for years , Ken Henderson was his cousin and best mate and he used to go to the farm occasionally with one of his long range cannons and shoot goats in the next postcode with it.
The owner eventually banned hunting which probably helped the goat numbers go nuts, plenty of pigs there too.

Not all 'locals' that harmless .....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cri...usional-killer

Originally Posted by Maxx

Not all 'locals' that harmless .....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cri...usional-killer

not really a Wanga local he lived at Pohokura Stratford side of the Wanga saddle - yes a very strange man - there was one real nasty prick locked up for wife beating about 10 years ago ? lived at Wanga - still inside - named Rosewarne bloody nutter kept his girl friend locked up- lived like a pig with 3 big mastiff guard dogs - my District Council mate a dog Ranger went out at request of Police and shot them when police arrested him -

Originally Posted by Maxx

Not all 'locals' that harmless .....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cri...usional-killer

hey more good buggers than nutters

Originally Posted by Maxx

Not all 'locals' that harmless .....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cri...usional-killer

okay I dont doubt there are many on here who have not struck the well drugged out unwashed out there so a true story of the delights of meeting a P addict in a rural area - yes true story - two of my hunters were in their DOC hilux on the Moki road North Taranaki and coming around the bend a young guy naked walking down the road - they stopped and talked to him - away with the fairys completely - one got out of the ute- the driver to talk to him and try to get some sense of the - yes damn strange occurrence - next thing he knew naked guy was in the drivers seat - told him to get out several times and ended up giving druggie a good smack in the head - no reponse - hit him again as hard as he could and naked man got out and ran off across the paddocks - sequel a farmers wife 8.30 that night found the drugged out fuckwit in her daughters bed asleep - I hope none of you ever have to deal with those fuckwits

Beautiful part of the country, just treat the locals with respect. Most of them work hard and they live pretty remote. They have to look after themselves and eachother. Last time I went that way I helped herd a young heifer off the road and into her paddock. Come around a corner to be greeted by loose cattle on the road a few times.

From memory a lot of that road alignment was improved by hand during the depression. The information boards along the highway make for interesting reading

Originally Posted by XR500

From memory a lot of that road alignment was improved by hand during the depression. The information boards along the highway make for interesting reading

Yep one of them was my great grandfather, Some amazing history in the area, my uncle could tell you all about it but warning this will take 27 days and he wouldn't stop to take a breath.

Originally Posted by Bobba

Yep one of them was my great grandfather, Some amazing history in the area, my uncle could tell you all about it but warning this will take 27 days and he wouldn't stop to take a breath.

pity that there is so much out there one cannot see from the road - old settlements- farms- bridges -been lucky enough to fly over a lot of it -always amazed how much work was put in just to get in there - a hell of a lot just reverting and likely the best use for it - hunting deer wise slowly getting better - certainly not the deer on this western side of that Wanga Wanganui country as there is on the eastern side of the Wanganui - thats some of the highest populations in North Island but give this western side another 5 years and could be some good heads around as deer move into new areas - but feed could be the deciding factor goats are everywhere

Originally Posted by XR500

From memory a lot of that road alignment was improved by hand during the depression. The information boards along the highway make for interesting reading

Yup correct. E have been there for 115 years now. Back in the 20's and 30's there were working man's camps where they would work on the roads

@Barry the hunter I nearly hit a fallow spiker when it shot across the road just in front of the car, just on dark out there last year. Not much fun hitting the brakes on a gravel road! It very nearly became a hood ornament! And I very nearly had a badly damaged car! I only missed it by inches

I took this pic just off the State Highway about 15-ish years ago.... There were 28 (that I could count) in the mob

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

@Barry the hunter I nearly hit a fallow spiker when it shot across the road just in front of the car, just on dark out there last year. Not much fun hitting the brakes on a gravel road! It very nearly became a hood ornament! And I very nearly had a badly damaged car! I only missed it by inches

I took this pic just off the State Highway about 15-ish years ago.... There were 28 (that I could count) in the mob

Attachment 242179

ooohhh love it love it breed ya little buggers breed -- good on ya mate