Mangapurua Track to the Bridge to Nowhere

To get to the start of the Mangapurua Track you can ride from either Ohakune, Raetihi or National Park. When the Mountain to Sea Great Ride is completed, the ride will start in Ohakune. Regardless of where you start you can expect about a 2 - 3 hour ride to the start of the track, so begin your day early if you intend on riding all the way to the Bridge to Nowhere.

Starting in Raetihi head out of town on Valley Road heading north toward King Street and State Highway 4.  After a kilometer Valley Road turns into State Highway 4 (SH4).  Continue along here to 2.8 kilometers until you come to the turn off for Raetihi Ohura Rd.  This is a narrow back country road with very little traffic.  It is very winding in some parts and it seems to get progressively narrower - although it is all tar sealed for the 20 kilometers to Ruatiti Domain.

Ruatiti Domain is a delightful spot to stop for a picnic or rest on the side of the Manganuioteao River.  It is actually a free camping area with water and toilets and during season you are sure to find a few fishing folk here taking advantage of the world renowned trout fishing in the river.  The area is also well known for the Whio (native Blue Duck).

From Ruatiti Domain head out on Ruatiti Rd as it turns into very much a single lane gravel road.  After just over 5.5 kilometers you will come to a cross roads where Ruatiti Road turns into Crotons Rd.  Follow Ruatiti Road until you see a signpost for the track on your left.

In total you can expect to take between 2 to 3 hours to get from Raetihi to the start of the Mangapuru Track.

The next 38 kilometers along the Mangapurua Track toward the Bridge to Nowhere were traditionally a fair bit more serious and probably grade 3 to 4 - but today with the development toward the Mountain to Sea Great Ride the trail is at most grade 3 and more like grade 2 the whole way.  You can expect to complete the Mangapurua Track to the Bridge in 3 - 4 hours - including many stops along the way to check out some of the historic house sites that were home to early settlers.  Most cyclists would claim that the route is now 100% ride able apart from the dozen or so swing bridges; others say it is still a bit technical in some downhill parts and some of the exposed sections where the track crosses bluffs might have you walking your bike for a short distance. We have not ridden this ride since the Great Ride upgrades.

The trail starts with the biggest climb of the day as you make your way toward to Mangapurua Ridge and some stunning views.  There are only two things to note along the route - the first being a sign saying "National Park".  You are actually riding in Whanganui National Park - albeit on a paper road so everything is OK.  The second is a very obvious Y junction which is about 10 minutes or so (we think it was about 2km) further on from the National Park signpost - keep to your left!  Also, probably just to note - the wider upper valley track is shared with quad bikes (mainly pig hunters) so you will need to be aware of this and also hikers/walkers on the Bridge to Nowhere Walk section of the ride.

At the top you probably want to take a rest, take in the views and inject yourself with whatever energy drink or chocolate you prefer cos as they say in cycling - what goes up, must come down.  From the Mangapuru Trig the track literally flys down into the valley for about 7 kilometers before it flattens out and meanders downstream (Mangapurua Stream) along the valley floor for a further 20 kilometers crossing countless swing bridges.

Finally travelling along the Valley floor the Bridge to Nowhere quite literally appears from Nowhere from around a corner! 

it is an eiry sight surrounded in native bush.  The large concrete "Morgan Bridge" was completed in 1936 - but the time it was finished the settlers in the area had pretty much packed up and left the bush to claim the land back.  You can still see the remains of the original swing bridge that provided essential supplies to those settlers in the 1920s from the new bridge.  About 100 metres down from the bridge is a lookout track and toilets are there also.

A short 20 minute / 3km track takes you from the Bridge down to the Mangapurua Landing on the edges of the Whanganui River.  There is no camping at the Mangapurua Landing (the campsite shown on maps is actually across the river) but there are plenty of good places to camp as you head down the valley.  DOC is upgrading the connecting Kaiwhakauka Track to Whakahoro this summer.

Finally, you need to have organised a pick up from a local Jet Boat operator.  They will pick you up from Mangapurua Landing and jet boat you on a fantastic adventure 30km down river to Pipiriki where you can either catch a bus back to Raetihi or cycle the 28 kilometers back to Raetihi. One great option is to stay halfway down the river with the Bridge to Nowhere Lodge - they will organise the jet boat pick up for you or alternatively an awesome experience is to canoe from Mangapurua Landing down to the Lodge for the night before jet-boating out to Pipiriki in the morning.  It is not a hard ride on a quiet road - but I guess that depends on how tired you feel after the previous 100km!

Photos for this ride have been kindly supplied by Ben Crawford who recently rode the Bridge to Nowhere Ride.  Ben is a freelance travel photographer based in Auckland - check out his website at www.bencrawford.co.nz