The Central Plateau is full of amazing spots to explore - from barron volcanic landscapes, amazing rivers, ancient native forests, epic campsites - it has it all!
Join Daniel as he heads through Tukino Road, Waipakihi Road, State Forest 70, Link Road/The Centre of the North Island in the Pureora Forest Park and the Pokaka Mill Campsite, one of our favourites.
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 .
There is a gate that can be locked - call into the Military Museum to pickup a key if you want to go further up the hill.
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.
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.
A short track down to the campsites at the Waikapihi River
This popular site makes a good base for hunting, tramping, walking and mountain biking with a variety of tracks close by.
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 into the geographic centre of the North Island through the Pureora Forest Park - the short walk at the end is well worth the trip from the end of the track.
A super basic campsite - Pokaka Mill offers a full remote camping experience. It is easily one of Overland NZ's favourite campsites in New Zealand. The 25 minute rough gravel road drive in takes you into a large open area with heaps of space to camp.
There's a simple long drop toilet there and nothing else.
On calm days the bird song is awesome. And on clear nights the stars are super bright. It can be pretty exposed though, so make sure to have warm gear, even in the middle of summer.