Don't let bad weather stop you! Join us for a few days of exploring New Zealand's Central Plateau area. From epic forests to driving up the side of a volcano, it's a pretty hard area to beat!
A cruisy gravel road through some ancient native forest with many spots to camp and hunt along the way.
A basic but large campsite in the Tūrangi/Taupō area. Good place to base yourself to explore the area.
A rutty little drive up to the nearby quarry. Keep an eye out for other users for the track and don't rip it up.
In July 2025 there was a tree down that made progress pretty tricky near the start - beyond that it was all good.
Head out to the Waimarino River Mouth on a short hard packed gravel road. In July 2025 there were two large puddles at the end, one of which we drove - the other was too deep. Stay off the lake front beach, park up and walk the last little bit.
This area is used by fishermen - keep an eye out for them.
A mix of seal and gravel, the loop takes you around the points of interest in the area, including an operational dam that you can drive over. Stunning native forests and cool views offer a scenic drive.
A short scenic drive through stunning native forest - the drive is simple but the views of the forest more than make up for it. A good reminder of what this area may once have looked like.
Short little drive into an awesome water cannon for the Rangipo dam. Few little sidetracks to explore on the way too, though they can be a bit scratchy
Head out to the Waipakihi River on a road that gets rougher and rougher before heading into a open area.
Once you get past the river, things get pretty scratchy.
Graded medium as the river crossing can be tricky.
Driving up the side of an active volcano is something pretty special! The Tukino Access road is an amazing drive all year around - hit it up in winter to do some snow driving or head up in summer and see something completely unique.
Leaving the track can result in a $800 fine from DOC - stick to it.
The route itself is rocky and rough. Beyond the 2WD carpark it climbs pretty steeply and can be very exposed in bad weather, the pay off being it's amazing when the weather is good. Take it easy and stick to the track and you shouldn't have any issues. Obviously if the weather is rough the track conditions change quickly.
The gate tends to be locked when the ski field isn't opened - a key can be borrowed for free from the following places
While there's no charge for a key, a donation to help maintain the road is requested by the ski field operators.