We left Wellington early for a run over the Rimutaka Hills and up SH2 to Eketahuna.
There we turned onto Alfredton Road before following the scenic but slow and windy Route 52 past Pongaroa then turning off onto an unsealed road for the final run to our lunch stop at the relatively unknown Wainui Falls.
Back at the Prado we continued our back road trip to Waipatiti then had a quick run up SH2 past Norsewood, to the turn-off onto SH50, finally turning onto Blackburn Rd for a loop into the Ruahine Ranges.
Blackburn Rd started off as a good sealed road before turning to gravel as it climbed up Blackburn Ridge, named for the devastating fires that occurred in the 1860s when newly-established farms were cleared by a sometimes uncontrolled 'slash and burn'.
Gaining height, we were enjoying the expansive but hazy views across the plains towards the coast when we came across the small and beautifully maintained Bibby Family memorial church.
Reaching the very small settlement of Blackburn we took the Hinerua Rd for a loop around the edge of a small valley.
Completing our loop on narrow but well maintained gravel roads we joined Wakarara Rd and headed to the end of the road in the foothills of the Ruahine ranges.
Returning the way we came, we took Makaroro Rd to return briefly to SH50 at Tikokino before our final detour to pass through a pine plantation on our way to Napier.
After a good night's rest our second day was a run from Napier up SH2 to Mahia Peninsula.
We stopped for a fuel stop and ice cream in Wairoa before a short and easy run up to the Mahia turnoff at Nuhaka then a slightly more remote run to Mahia Beach.
We roamed much of the peninsula, finding it very scenic but much more developed and sealed that I expected, and unfortunately we did not manage to get the right tides to drive along the accessible parts of the beach.
Our last day was limited by needing to be back home at a reasonable time, so after a slow climb up from Havelock North to Te Mata Peak for some amazing views, it was a steady run back down SH2.
To read every story in the April 2017 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (March 17) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.
