Gentle Annie — Napier to Taihape Inland PateaRoad.
Distance
150 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,300 m
Gentle Annie — Napier to Taihape Inland Patea Road.
The Napier–Taihape Road, known to riders as the Gentle Annie, is one of the North Island's great backcountry crossings. Now fully sealed, it climbs to 1,250 m at Kuripapango through remote tussock and beech country with almost no traffic, crosses the Rangitikei at the historic Springvale bridge, and descends to the gumboot town of Taihape. Carry fuel — services are scarce.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance150 km
Days1
Total climb1,300 m
DifficultyModerate
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The route.
NapierStart · Start in Art Deco Napier on Hawke's Bay. Top up fuel — there are no reliable services until Taihape.
Kuripapango (1250m)Mountain Pass · The high point of the route through wild, empty tussock and beech high country. Near the site of the old Comet Inn coaching stop.
Springvale Suspension BridgePhoto Spot · 1920s suspension bridge over the deep Rangitikei River gorge, 41 km from Taihape. A rest area sits on the eastern bank.
MoawhangoScenic Point · Tiny historic village 19 km north of Taihape, on the edge of the army training land. The road tightens and twists down toward town.
TaihapeEnd · End in Taihape, the self-styled gumboot capital of New Zealand, on the main trunk line.
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