Taranaki tunnel register

I've been struggling to find just where all these tunnels are, so have used the New Zealand Maps app on my phone (and an atlas) to assemble the locations as waypoints. This is as far as I have managed so far: (now edited)




The gpx file for these waypoints:

13_Waypoints-20201010-1841.gpx (edited)

If anyone can add to these it would be great. I'm still only feeling my way with this app, waypoints and gpx files.

Mt Messenger if that counts?
Moki Tunnel, SH43 north of Tahora.
Waikawau beach tunnel

Awesome Wayne. Here's a copy of the Naki Tunnel Tour we did with @Phreaky Phil in April 2018 ....was it that long ago!... I've put your waypoints on it to see which tunnels we didn't do. I feel another Tunnel Tour might be warranted to take in the ones we missed

Thanks @wairau. I've added these to the waypoints so now the updated gpx and the screenshot of my phone have been edited on the first post.

There seems to be a Moki Road Tunnel over by Kiwi Rd and a Moki Tunnel on Ohura Rd. Hmmm.

The two tunnels on Old Whangamomona Rd are close together so they are on one waypoint.

If anyone has photos of them to give us an idea of what they look like, that would be great. The ones that I've been through, I've not known their names.

That overlay is a great idea Marty. You're right about another tunnel ride. To be honest, I just followed along with the group last time and didn't concentrate on where I was.

Updated the Naki Map - thats a lot of tunnels!

It is highly redundant now, but this is the relevant part of my planned summer ride.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1IcjmWf1AhBsVd4Q-PrBvQxwmtySg4ZQt&usp=sharing
Sources:
http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/en/taranaki_tunnels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tunnels_in_New_Zealand#Road_tunnels

Awesome thread

The tunnels are fun but the roads themselves would be well worth the ride without them... at least the ones that I've done. Then there's also the Mt Damper falls, the Forgotten World highway when you're fed up with riding gravel and the bright lights of Ohura. A great area to spend a week in.

Mt Messenger is a bit tame these days, but back in the '70's when I used to go through it often it was one lane with a blind entry on the north end. Sound Your Horn ! Before entering, and then find an RFL A Train coming through ! The one lane Mokau bridge required some planning on approach too, there were passing bays on the bridge...could you get to the passing bay before the stock truck ? Also there is a tunnel of sorts at the beginning of the Awakino Gorge.

It's a lot better now. They've made it 1½ lanes wide and put up a mirror so you can see the milk tanker you're about to go under just as you enter.

1975 I was parked behind a large truck waiting on the New Plymouth side of the Mt Messenger tunnel when the bastard started backing up! I had no where to go, fully loaded CB 750, got wife off back, got me off, laid bike down and sprinted length of truck to open drivers door and politely let driver know he had backed over my bike.
He was quite nonachlant about it, was going to drive forward but bike crashbars where caught on diff or something so I had to free it up, quite a mission. Bike was ridable, driver thought I was kidding when I wanted his details for insurance claim, they ended up paying out for repairs after a flurry of correspondence from my solicitor, when support statement from the car driver behind me was produced. Driver had put his own twist on the events. Funny now, but not funny at the time.

I was doing a Rusty nuts 1000 ride abd we were coming from New Plymouth to Tauranga, in a storm at 4:00am, of course... As I went through Mt Messenger Tunnel, I stopped to have a respite from the rain, rested the bike against the wall of the tunnel, woke up 10mins latter with the bike still running and me still sitting on it... whoops

Not that's it's geographically in Taranaki but we think we own it, the Awakino tunnel is nearing extinction. The new bridge was almost across the river when I came through 2 weeks ago.

Cant be long now, they've stopped fixing the potholes. Bloody near need a 4WD to get through it. Surprised nobodys left a sump or a bumper behind in there.

@wairau. I've added these to the waypoints so now the updated gpx and the screenshot of my phone have been edited on the first post.

There seems to be a Moki Road Tunnel over by Kiwi Rd and a Moki Tunnel on Ohura Rd. Hmmm.

The two tunnels on Old Whangamomona Rd are close together so they are on one waypoint.

If anyone has photos of them to give us an idea of what they look like, that would be great. The ones that I've been through, I've not known their names.[/QUOTE]

Here is one of the Whangamomona Road tunnels (sorry not sure now which one)

And here is a link to the TTTTT that Phil and I put together in 2008 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/79701-What-the-hell-is-the-TTTTT?highlight=ttttt

Great Thread, how accessible are the two tunnels in Whangamomona?
Taking the Tiger 100 on a VCC rally on the 27/28 and going to spend the Sunday doing a few tunnels ( weather depending).
Done a fair few on a previous Phreaky Phil ride on the ol R80.

The tunnels are early on on the old Whanga Rd. If you want to go thru them you'd need chunky tyres. Tends to be very boggy on the exits. A lot depends on weather & what work has been completed on the roads recently.

Early on? What way are you going? From memory if riding from the pub they are past half way? (My memory is not the best at times though lol)