Forgotten World Highway
SH 43Stratford to Whangamomona · Taranaki / Manawatu-Whanganui
A remote heritage run between Stratford and Taumarunui over three saddles, through a one-lane tunnel and the self-declared Republic of Whangamomona.
State Highway 43 threads 148km of empty central North Island hill country, and the heart of it runs from Stratford up over the Strathmore and Whangamomona saddles to the tiny pub-republic of Whangamomona. The road climbs and dips through bush-clad ranges, squeezes through the single-lane Moki Tunnel (the Hobbit's Hole) and winds along the Tangarakau Gorge. It is narrow, lightly trafficked and feels genuinely cut off from the modern world, which is the whole appeal. The last gravel section was finally sealed in 2025, but the carriageway stays tight and twisting throughout. Mind the narrow blind corners, the unlit one-lane Moki Tunnel, and the long stretches with no fuel or phone signal.
Where it runs
Character
Elevation
191 m rangeKnow before you go
- Narrow blind corners
- Unlit single-lane Moki Tunnel
- No fuel or phone signal for long stretches
Sources
In these collections
Nearby roads
The closest great drives to Forgotten World Highway.
