Spectacular scenery, loads of twisties and some fast straight sections make this an awesome ride.
BokiwiJust covered this route today two-up as part of a ride from New Plymouth to Taupo. The whole route is awesome. The traffic was pretty light for a Friday arvo, but what little there was made for some fun challenges in leaving all the cages behind. No cops either. Stop at the Fat Pigeon for lunch in Pio Pio. Great food. Sweeping curves all the way with some tight corners over Mt Messenger. Brilliant ride. Recommended.
Great ride over Mount Messenger, and later on through the Tongaporutu gorge. Great scenery following the river, but look out for slips. As it is the main road north from New Plymouth there are a lot of trucks on the road, so you need to try to get past them before the interesting parts of the ride.
Mudfish911