Ohakune Old Coach - Road Rediscovery
When the Ohakune Old Coach Road was rediscovered in 2002 the vegetation was so thick in places that you had to crawl through the undergrowth. Local volunteers spent nearly a decade clearing it into the wide track which you can stroll or bike up today.
After the Hapuawhenua viaduct was decommissioned it also fell into disrepair. When the Ohakune community began planning the restoration of the Ohakune Old Coach Road, access to the Hapuawhenua viaduct was again restored, therefore making it possible to plan its restoration. The Tongariro National History Society joined DOC’s efforts and funding was secured.
Restoration of the Hapuawhenua Viaduct was started in 2007 and finished in 2009. It has meant that this NZ engineering masterpiece can be shared with the rest of the world.
The Taonui and Hapuawhenua viaducts, the Hapuawhenua Tunnel and the cobbles of The Old Coach Road remain as testaments to the vision and persistence of the surveyors, the engineers and the hundreds of builders involved in their construction.
