- Distance
- 35km one way. Extend by a return ride, or biking seal and gravel from Raetihi
- Access
- From the Ruatiti Road end
- Map
- Topo50-BJ33 (Raetihi) and BJ32 (Pipiriki)
- Links/Files
- Transport
Bridge to Nowhere Track, Whanganui National Park / Grade 3
Compared to the hardships endured by the returned servicemen who attempted to tame the remote and rugged country in what is now Whanganui National Park, mountain biking the track that once connected their farms to civilization was no doubt a doddle. I was, however, a little apprehensive about the Bridge to Nowhere Track after getting one report of pushing bikes uphill through mud for hours; and hearing it called a hell ride by some ‘hard outs’ who rode the return trip. On the positive side, I’d recently read in Wilderness about the track being as one of the best mountain bike rides in the North Island. Transport to the start of the track a jet boat ride out at the end allayed my concerns about it being overly difficult. The track had also undergone a major upgrading as part of the National Cycleway Project. All seemed good enough reasons to invite 10 friends to join me for an energetic birthday. On a crisp cloudless autumn morning Ken from Whanganui River Adventures unloaded us at the Ruatiti Road end, a slow scenic hour or so from Raetihi. He and his jet boat would be at the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui River at 2.30pm – giving us a comfortable four to five hours to complete the 35km. A pretty poplar-fringed track led over farmland, winding on up and around hillsides for about an hour. My partner’s GPS told us we’d increased elevation from 320m to 600m over the first 5km hard, but not punishing, slog. It might not be such fun in pouring rain or after a few wet days turn the ground to glue. We stopped to admire Mt Ruapehu’s fresh dusting of snow and from the highest point gazed out over layers of hinterland. Mt Ngauruhoe was clearly visible on one horizon, Taranaki on the opposite. Open country gave way to bush as we cruised a big curving downhill into the Mangapurua Valley. The history of the area revealed itself with graphic evidence of the abandoned settlements of First World War returned servicemen. The last few gave up the struggle to farm in the early 1940s when the government decided that road access could no longer be maintained. The steel and reinforced concrete bridge opened in 1936 become redundant – the Bridge to Nowhere. [caption id="attachment_34032" align="aligncenter" width="960"]