West of Whangamomona the road gets more tangled, and the hill country of inland Taranaki shows what it is made of. It is the sort of road that feels like a scenic route that has never been formally told it is one.
The geology is soft, young and unstable. The hills are made of mudstone and sandstone, and they erode quickly, so slips and washouts are common after heavy rain. The road is narrow, and the edges are often ragged. Several short stretches have been unsealed in the past, and conditions vary from year to year, so check the current state before setting out. Take care in wet weather, when gravel and mud can make the surface slippery. Stock trucks and logging vehicles use the road, and they will not stop for you.
There are traces of a hopeful past. Settlers cleared the hill country in the early twentieth century, building farms, small settlements and a railway that was meant to link the region, and many of those farms were abandoned when the land proved too steep and the soil too poor. Old tunnels, cuttings and homesteads can still be found, reclaimed by bush, and the hand-dug Moki Tunnel, with its rough, unlined walls, is one of the oddities of the highway.
Wildlife is mostly birds. Tui and bellbirds sing in the forest, and the quick shapes of fantails follow you along the road. Feral goats and deer are common on the slopes, and possums are unfortunately everywhere, becoming casualties at night. Native bush survives in the valleys and on the steepest slopes, with tree ferns, rimu and rata.
There are no services here, and the nearest larger town in our data is Waitara, a good way to the west. In practice, the nearest fuel is at Stratford or Taumarunui, so plan your tank accordingly. Carry water, a basic repair kit and warm clothing, and avoid riding after dark, when the unlit road is hazardous.