Word on the street: Opunake Road

In the early days of European settlement in South Taranaki, one of the most important roads in the area was the Opunake Rd. It was also one of the most problematic and controversial.

Soldiers first formed a track between Opunake and Stratford in the early 1880s. When Charles Hursthouse began surveying the route, it was known locally as Hursthouse

Line or Track. The terrain it cut through was difficult land, comprising hills, small gullies and, by one count, crossing ninety-five water courses.

In 1886 a wooden bridge was built over the Waingongoro River. This improved access to Stratford. However, it was a long time before the road was anything more than rudimentary. Many people in Stratford thought one reason was politics. There was an ongoing suspicion that the Hāwera-based local government bodies, which had authority over roads, were more inclined to construct roads that encouraged settlers on the Waimate Plains to do their business in Hāwera or Manaia. A planned port in Opunake only added to Stratford’s concerns. If a port was built there, the people of Stratford and eastern Taranaki wanted good access.

The port never eventuated. However, after the bridge across the Waingongoro was replaced in 1905, the Opunake Rd was gradually improved. Much of it was sealed in the 1920s.

The difficult terrain the road passes through meant there were many sharp bends. To improve safety, a major upgrade was started in 1970. This included replacing the Waingongoro bridge a few years later with the present structure.

– Contributed by the Taranaki Research Centre I Te Pua Wānanga o Taranaki at Puke Ariki.