East Coast Beach Loop
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Route Overview
General Overview
This Adventure was created and personally logged by Ross Bowden. Ross is a keen adventure rider with extensive knowledge of the remote North Island track network.
This is a cracking route out in Hawkes Bay on the east coast of the North Island with stunning beach and hilltop views.
Start/Finish Point
It can be started anywhere along the route but the natural place to start is either the Black Dog Pub Makotuku (near Ormondville) or Havelock North.
Terrain includes
Mainly gravel roads some tar seal, beach riding, flat rock terrain, 300m section of clay track.
Distance
Leg 1 = 179kms from The Black Dog in Makotuku To Havelock North via Porangahau.
Leg 2 =103kms from Havelock North to the Black Dog via Norsewood for fuel, 282kms for the return loop.
Max Fuel Leg
Norsewood to Havelock North (via Porangahau) 190kms. At the time of publishing this fuel is not available at the Porangahau Garage ring for further info on 06 855 5247.
Travel Time
8 hours with lunch and rest stops for both legs as a loop.
Accommodation
Black Dog Pub, free DOC camping at Porangahau, or Havelock North has accommodation from budget motels to five star luxury with underground parking.
Access Permission
None required all public roads.
Access Limitations
As this is a beach route going around the point it is tide-dependent ideally one to two hours either side of low tide is best.
Take extreme care of other beachgoers, keep speeds down, and take heed of any signage relating to wildlife which can be especially vulnerable at certain times of year.
Safety
Narrow winding gravel roads, particularly the beach rock section and clay based track can be slippery when wet.
