Whakamarama
Whakamarama Road climbs from near State Highway 2 at Omokoroa into the foothills of the Kaimai Range, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The Kaimai separates the Waikato from the Bay of Plenty; its highest peak is Mount Te Aroha, 953 m, and only two roads cross it. Trains go under it instead: the Kaimai railway tunnel, nearly 9 km long and opened in 1978, is the longest in New Zealand.
The road follows the line of an old timber tramway. Around 1913 the Whakamarama Land and Timber Company built it to bring logs about 10 km down from the bush, now the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park, to its mill just east of Whakamarama village. From May 1914 the tramway also carried the timber another 10 km or so on to Omokoroa wharf. Where Whakamarama Road ends, a walking track follows parts of the old line into the bush. The ride climbs to its high point at about 400 m, turns, and ends partway back down, where part 2 picks up.
Region: Bay Of Plenty
City: Whakamarama
Distance: 17.84 km
Elevation Gain: 426 m
Elevation Loss: 212 m
Difficulty: 275 (Easy)
FIETS Index: 1.23 FIETS
Avg Grade: 3.41 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 37 m
Max elevation: 397 m
Ride Category: Hilly