Manawatu Gorge



Heading South from Hawkes Bay towards Palmerston North is the Manawau Gorge!! About two hours drive from the Bay. If it is breath taking views you want while driving through New Zealand, that's what the Manawatu Gorge will give you!! Just before the entry to the Gorge there is a single lane bridge to the left hand side of the road, cross the bridge and a little over 100 meters on the right is the car park for the Gorge Track with a small sign showing you where to start. It is a long walk, taking up a good four hours, I have never walked the whole way since I am usually on the lookout for fungi my pace is too slow and it would probably take me 24 hours at that pace!! This Photo was taken about 1.5 hours into the track and is just one example of what it has to offer. There are a lot of fun things to do around this area including kayaking in the river!!
Just a few Hundred meters down the road from the car park to the Manawatu Gorge Track, there is a very narrow and windy gravel road to the left, there is no sign to indicate where it leads, ( at least not when I was there) but it takes you up to the Wind Farm!! This is a power plant creating energy from the wind naturally blowing around the area and feeds power to a large portion of Palmerston North and there is talk of expanding it!! The drive up to the farm is tricky and you must be careful as in some areas it is not wide enough for two cars, so just take it slow around the corners and keep an eye out for mountain bikers!! In the end it is worth it just to be able to see the sheer size of these fans, it's remarkable!! This picture shows just a few of the many fans!!