Motu Road Trail

You can ride the Motu Road from either direction: from the coastal Dunes Trail, or, from inland at Matawai/Motu. You get more downhill riding by starting from Matawai/Motu. It’s 55 kilometres from Matawai to the coast, including 48km of gravel, and the hills peak at almost 800 metres altitude. 

The following describes the ride from Matawai heading north to the coast.

From Matawai to Motu it’s 14 kilometres on slightly downhill sealed road. A few kilometres before Motu, you’ll see the Moutohora railway bridge, a remnant of a railway that once stretched from Gisborne and was planned to connect on to Taneatua and Tauranga.

Motu has a shelter, toilets and cafe. Motu Community House is an ideal place to stay. There is also a park-over by the shelter, for self-contained vehicles only. It's well worth making the 5 kilometres (10 kilometres return) side trip to the stunning Motu Falls, from where you can walk in the magnificent forest of Whinray Scenic Reserve. If you have children, driving to Motu can be a fun overnight family adventure. 

When you leave Motu, riding towards Ōpōtiki, you’ll almost immediately climb for more than 5 kilometres, broken up by some short descents. While you climb a total of over 300 metres altitude, it is never too steep and the views over Motu valley are brilliant.
 
Almost at the Motu Hill Summit (Onukuroa) there’s a shelter and shuttle drop-off point. From here it's 9 kilometres of twisting, mostly downhill riding to the Pakihi Track turnoff. Along the way, you pass some towering native trees and get spectacular panoramas of rugged forest hills.

After passing the top of the Pakihi Track, you drop into the Whitikau Valley, then promptly start another climb up Papamoa Hill, where there is a shelter at the top (elevation 660 metres). This is a large climb but never steep. 

There's a fantastic 3.5 kilometre long descent off Papamoa, dropping 250 metres to Toatoa valley. The valley has a ford, often about ankle deep in water during winter. The ford may be impassable after very heavy rain. 

At the junction of Motu Road and Takaputahi Road there is another shelter. Carry on along Motu Road, after a few undulations, the climb of Meremere hill begins. 

Stop at the hilltop shelter, where there's a fantastic view. Then plunge 6 kilometres, and 350 metres altitude, to the base of Meremere hill. Riding inland from the coast, Meremere is a big climb, that takes most riders 35-75 minutes.

From the base of Meremere it's 14km to the coast. Along the way, the forest gradually switches to farmland. You still have a few pinchy climbs. The seal resumes 4 kilometres from the coast, where you cross State Highway 35 and head onto the Dunes Trail.

The Motu Road (sometimes called Old Motu Coach Road) was part of the first proper road between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne. From 1914 until about 1930 it was the region's main road.

The first motorcar to drive the full Motu Road was in 1914, when there were many river crossings and slips. The driver told the Poverty Bay Herald, “it is the most dangerous trip in New Zealand, and he would not take it on again, except in case of urgent business.” Still, the road was lauded for its amazing natural beauty with lush forest views from the tops, high country farms, and remote settlements.
 
Toatoa is midway on the Motu Road. During the land wars of the 1860s, Ngati Rua iwi took refuge in this area. Settlers moved to Toatoa from 1895, with much of the forest cleared by burning. 

After the Motu Road was connected, tearooms at Toatoa briefly offered a resting point for travellers. People would take the train from Gisborne to Moutohorā, near Matawai, and spend the night at the Motu Hotel, before catching the next day’s service car to Ōpōtiki. Toatoa also had a dairy factory, and a settlers' hall that is still standing. 

Once the Waioeka Gorge road opened up in 1929/1930, offering an easier route, the Motu Road was mainly used for mustering, with hundreds of thousands of sheep passing between the regions. Roll on the 1980s and 1990s, when the Rally of New Zealand was part of the world rally championship series, the Motu Road became one of the world’s great rally stages, challenging even the greatest drivers.

The 1990s also brought the Motu Challenge, one of New Zealand’s toughest multisport races, involving biking, running, and kayaking, an event that continues to this day.

• Matawai is one hour's drive from both Ōpōtiki and Gisborne on SH2; another 15 minutes' drive to Motu.
• There is almost no mobile coverage and no shops between Motu and Ōpōtiki.
• If driving the Motu road, a 4WD is strongly advised.
• Shuttle transport is available with Cycle Gisborne and Motu Trails Hire & Shuttle (minimum numbers apply).
• Guided and supported tours are available with Cycle Gisborne.
• You may encounter logging trucks, if you do, pull over and let them pass. 
• There is usually very little traffic on the Motu Road. Out of peak periods, you may only see one or two cars per hour. However, always remember the road is open. Keep left and be prepared to stop at all times. At some peak periods, there may be considerably more traffic, perhaps 10 or 15 vehicles per hour.
• Take water with you. Many people also drink from a small stream halfway up the northern side of Papamoa Hill, 8km before the Pakihi junction.
• Take warm clothes, as the weather can be challenging.
• The ride is mapped on the Great Rides App, download the map before you begin.