There is a republic here, and it takes itself exactly as seriously as it should. In 1989 the folk of Whangamomona, annoyed at a boundary change that moved them from Taranaki into Manawatu-Wanganui, declared independence, and they have kept the joke running ever since. Republic Day is held every other January, and the presidents elected over the years have included a goat and a poodle, which says something about the standard of candidates. A passport stamp from the hotel is the souvenir, and you can reasonably claim to have crossed a border.
The village is tiny, a handful of buildings along State Highway 43, the Forgotten World Highway, which links Stratford in Taranaki to Taumarunui, about 150 kilometres of twisting road through bush and hill farms. The hotel is the heart of the place, a wooden building with a wide veranda, a bar that has seen a lot of dust and a lot of motorcyclists. Mud and rain come with the territory, and the road in this area is steep, winding and tight, passing over saddles with names like Tahora and Strathmore. A stretch of the highway between here and Taumarunui is unsealed, around a dozen kilometres, which is good to know before you book that tight touring schedule.
What you notice about the landscape is that it is both lush and eroded, steep pasture cut by landslips on soft papa mudstone hills, and the whole district is a world of green. The Whangamomona River winds below the village, and the hills around it fold up steeply on every side. Early settlers cleared the hillsides for farms, and many of the farms were later abandoned, hence the Forgotten World. Rail and road builders cut a tunnel through the hills nearby, the Moki Tunnel, and the Tangarakau Gorge section is wild and narrow.
Fuel is the one practical point to take seriously. There is nothing between Stratford and Taumarunui that you can rely upon, so fill at one end and ride the whole length on that tank, with a reserve. Stratford is the usual start, a pleasant town with a view of Mount Taranaki on a clear day. In the hotel you can get a hot meal and a cold drink, and a chat about the road ahead from whoever is behind the bar.
Go slowly, expect rain, and watch for stock on the road. The best days are late spring and autumn, when the hills are green and the traffic light.