The sights of the Manawatu Gorge and the new highway in progress

Hawkes Bay Today

20 Feb, 2022 09:41 PM2 mins to read

The 'Tokomaru' railcar takes you from Woodville to Ashhurst and return. Photo / Leanne Warr

Long considered a gateway between Palmerston North and Woodville to Dannevirke, the Manawatu Gorge road is a route that has also been fraught with difficulty.

The road was originally completed in 1872 and has a long history of instability.

A large slip closed the Gorge in April 2017 and workers were sent in to try to reopen it, but in July 2017 another slip forced its permanent closure.

Since 2020, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been working on a new road that will go above the gorge under the project name Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway. The project isn't expected to be finished until December 2024.

Pahiatua Railcar Society has been running excursions through the Gorge with its most recent one last weekend.

The view of the Ruahine Ranges from Woodville station. Photo / Leanne Warr

The excursion takes travelers from Woodville through to Ashhurst on the Gorge rail line.

The railcar itself was the R.M.31 'Tokomaru', a car built in 1938 and bequeathed to the society.

While the trip isn't that long, with each way about 20 minutes, there is still a lot to see.

A view of the windfarm. Photo / Leanne Warr

The railcar passes Te Apiti Wind Farm and here and there are glimpses of the work being carried out on the new highway.

Work in progress on the highway. Photo / Leanne Warr

There are also hints of the damage caused by erosion above the road on the other side of the gorge with areas of scarring. About halfway along is what's left of the slip that closed the gorge for good in 2017.

One of the areas where the hillside has been unstable. Photo / Leanne Warr

One of the slips that led to the closure. Photo / Leanne Warr

The scarring on the hillside from years of erosion. Photo / Leanne Warr

It's a beautiful part of the world nonetheless, if you're the type of person who enjoys that kind of scenery, but also a reminder of the dangers of erosion.