Taumarunui is where the Forgotten World Highway starts, and the name of the road is not a marketing slogan so much as a fair description. The town stands where the Ongarue and Whanganui rivers meet, in the heart of the North Island, and it was once a bustling railway and river port, with paddle steamers carrying passengers and goods down the Whanganui toward the coast. The railway still passes through, but the trains are fewer, and the town has the quiet, slightly faded look of a place that has seen busier days.
The Whanganui River, which flows past, is sacred to the local Maori, who consider it an ancestor, and in 2017 it was granted legal personhood, the first river in the world to be so recognised. Canoeists and kayakers paddle the upper river, and the Whanganui River Road, a winding backroad, follows part of it. The land around is rugged, steep and forested, with sheep and cattle farms on the cleared hills.
For riders, Taumarunui is the last proper stop before a long, remote road. State Highway 43, the Forgotten World Highway, runs about a hundred and fifty kilometres across the hill country to Stratford, through some of the emptiest and most remarkable scenery in the North Island. It has tight bends, steep hills, one-lane bridges, a tunnel and a section of unsealed road, so it is slow, and the distance takes longer than the map suggests. Start early, and allow a full day.
Fuel is the main concern. Carry water and snacks, and buy lunch here, or plan to eat at the pub in Whangamomona, which is open for meals. Mobile coverage is patchy along the highway, so tell someone your plan.
The weather can vary, with sunshine in the morning and fog or rain by afternoon, and winters are cold and wet, with ice on the higher sections. A good waterproof and warm gloves are worth packing. A coffee at one of the local cafes before you leave, a quick check of the bike and a good look at the sky is the right way to begin.