(EP36) Forgotten World Highway! New Zealand, Coast to Coast.

[@frothe42]

Rubbish! Far from boring, it was an interesting experience, at least from my viewpoint! Gorgeous scenery and landscape.

[@gryfandjane]

The stuff of dreams... a long, twisty mountain road with practically zero traffic.

[@Hairnicks]

Spectacular country, really enjoyed the trip, thanks for doing the driving.

[@mebeasensei]

This volg, in gentle New Zealand with your dulcet tones and Million Dollar Bogan's bike vlog, with its vulgar strine in the Aussie outback are a wonderful pair. Enjoy them both. Cheers

[@derek-press]

👍 New Zealand for the road quality in some of those remote areas, I live in a town full of potholes, enough in fact to fill the Albert Hall

[@unahaclosp]

Sitting in lockdown and watching you roadtrip around my country. Nice video.

[@jrgenp.nielsen1243]

“I do like this car...” True love ❤️😂👍

[@MC-ft8zv]

Yep Ian has good taste..I've had 2 AU Fairmonts, they were both superbly comfortable, with effortless power, quiet, and damned economical on the open road, a much better car than the BA I reckon, with the expensive heater faults etc. There's something special about big cars like this where you KNOW you have as much power as you want, and you are using hardly any more gas than say that stinking Tiida piece of crap. Curently have a 3.5 Maxima which reminds me so much of an AU, apart from the constant tyre squealing when accelerating briskly. I'll miss seeing Betty once Ian has left NZ. Long live big comfy cruisers!

[@mrfrdman]

@@MC-ft8zv Agree MC ,i have two AUs at the moment and have had a few others over the years ,very underrated cars ,i race the xr8 and its std and it goes well and is reliable :)

[@dougvb9048]

My dad used drive his truck through there in the 70s. He told me that the road was so windy that you could see your tail lights ahead on some corners.

[@piperdoug428]

hahahaha

[@mebeasensei]

How anyone could go through that single lane tunnel not knowing what was coming straight ahead...beyond me.

[@kevinbutcher995]

Ford please note while driving on a tight bendy road... " I wish I was driving my 2CV " A line you will probably never hear again.

[@JS-1983]

Not boring at all, love these videos from NZ. Just drove over 4 hours with semi truck, now resting couple of hours watching you driving in NZ and then i drive other over 4 hours back, here boring Finland. 😄

[@Mike.Howard]

Nice "California Stop" at 28:29... 👌

[@mebeasensei]

So beautiful, you have to conclude it rains a lot. Congratulations for getting nice weather.

[@SpeedLockedNZ]

Our noisy roads have large crushed stones about 12mm/half inch, mostly for water shedding, you'll notice the curved or steep camber with lots of drainage, "cheap & easier" to maintain, thanks for visiting dude, forgotten it will never be now ya been there :)

[@torresalex]

That was magic. New Zealand's landscapes are off-the-chart gorgeous. Thanks for letting us tag along for the views!

[@Zadster]

I could watch drives like these all day. Yet again HubNut videos like these give you a far better idea of what a place really feels like than any TV programme ever can. I think Betty Fairmont has proven to be the perfect car for these explorations. You need fairly high profile tyres to cope with rough road surfaces, and that huge torque makes everything less stressful. I can see why you are sorry to be parted.

[@nickcollins7568]

What stunning scenery and a fantastic ribbon of tarmac along the forgotten highway😎 Roads with little traffic. Wonderful 😀

[@piperdoug428]

The more you show of NZ the more i understand the lure that got my cousin down there, though my wife is getting worried that i might pack up the farm n ship us all down there soon, lol.

[@tonysargent1699]

Really enjoying the trip so far. Loving the scenery, it's nice to have the time to just drive sometimes. Thankyou for sharing.

[@masher1832]

Thank you for your company Ian, it's great to have this on in the back ground when working from home. Very calming.

[@jonlyons1033]

I used to live in Stratford, I bought an mx5 and a 150cc 2stroke Suzuki, thoroughly enjoyed spanking them both out to the pub and back. Thank you so much for the trip down memory lane.

[@richardorchard5197]

That Falcon is an excellent car so quite and smooth,it’s a pity you couldn’t have taken her back to Wales.

[@Ian-Steele]

No need to apologise for taking us on a trip across New Zealand. It was fascinating to see the scenery and hopefully keep you company on the way 😁

[@RWBHere]

No need to apologise, Ian. That was fascinating. Thanks! 👋🙂👍

[@mrpalm54]

Best memory of driving up the "coast" of Lake Taupo was in my mates MGA 1500 on a clear moonlit night while he drove my MGC softtops down of course. More recently I drove the Red Austin back from Hastings on the Napier section. A big drive for you. Great scenery enjoyed your video!

[@k1ckyscotland988]

As a biker,that is the best road you've took us over.

[@thomas316]

I've done it on a KLR650. Love a bit of gravel riding, a real challenge!

[@b.2221]

Nothing boring about it, and what a stunning country Sir 👍 Tam.

[@stickboy71]

To put the size of lake Taupo into perspective its about the same size as Singapore.

[@mrpalm54]

In the late 70s early 80s I used to travel this road for work mostly unsealed my workmate rally driving over saddles in a lovely little Japanese assembled Mazda 1300, (govt department issue) the body shape before the Mazda 808.

[@jgvgjv2980]

I have had the pleasure of driving a Citroen C6 a few years ago, the wife and I thoroughly enjoyed driving it for a week

[@zephyr0815]

Thank you for being there. That was a great trip! Wonderful! Greetings from Germany..! 8-))

[@jgvgjv2980]

What a most interesting and absorbing delightful video, thanks Ian

[@OdykKayne]

That Nissan Maxima was also the same one in front of you at the 'Republic' toilets!

[@frothe42]

It looked like an Infiniti to me!

[@HubNut]

Was a Maxima. Shame I didn't video them pulling out in front of me. From the wrong side of the road. I wasn't impressed!

[@kennethbaker2008]

A very scenic drive,thank you.

[@niklaswejedal463]

Another very interesting video - never knew about the Forgotten World Highway - new knowledge aquired!

[@shaunpatchett2510]

What a cracking drive thanks for sharing it with us. .

[@golfman9290]

HUBS! you lucky bugger those roads, those roads, i was getting a sore neck watching on my laptop in bed! Betty seemed to be eating up those bends with ease, great landscapes, and good view of roads from camera position, forgotten highway, it's not one i'd forget, cheers Ian.

[@mrivantchernegovski3869]

Big Fairmont good for eating up miles . Lake taupo was a volcano that pretty much erupted and blew that big hole lake taupo .it was a high mountain before the eruption

[@bigvee401]

No it wasn't a mountain, the lakes crater first started forming while that part of the country was still under the ocean

[@saintfunny]

I'm completely with you about the 2CV element.

[@josepelotudogomezcredulo6993]

Lovely! Here in my country we have a so called "Panoramic route" is windy like that,but is all from gravel and small peebles cause is in a rocky hills zone .Is lots of fun driving there ,I took my wife there once and she drove all the long in our 1996 Daihatsu Cuore ... ha ha.

[@tonycox5625]

Love to do those roads in my MX5 , another great vlog Ian.😊😊

[@waltpartymiller6802]

@ 5:19 see the MX5 (2nd generation with hardtop) off to the left side of the road.

[@charliemansonUK]

Good morning Ian, it 1AM and I'm laid up in bed in hospital with a particularly nastily messed up leg from a break of the Fibula and Tibia which caused major compartmentalised internal bleeding necessitating emergency cutting down both sides of the calf muscle....there may be a video on my channel I think... I've only just been given the NHS WiFi password so can now get t'internet as my data couldn't be reached from the ward 🙁. I was just tuning in to try it out and way hey! up popped HubNut on the Forgotten World Highway! Extremely happy early morning even if it is awash with many versions of the phrase ouch 🤣🤣 Happy days Peace Charlie 🇬🇧

[@frothe42]

Oh my! I do hope you recover quickly, and you are so fortunate to have the NHS; we have to be grateful for the Healthcare we currently have, which in my view rates just the same or worse than a third-world country.

[@HubNut]

Doesn't sound pleasant! All the best with the healing.

[@charliemansonUK]

@@frothe42 the NHS is a great asset that came about, primarily from but not exclusively the huge sacrifices of the two World Wars. We need to treasure the NHS, Its staff and appreciate what an amazing thing the access to good healthcare for all. Peace Charlie 👍

[@gruntabro1]

The toyota blade with the 3.5 v6 haul ass

[@Turnbull50]

Love these long drives not boring at all enjoyed every minute.

[@chrisbradley1192]

Don't worry about the closing "I shall see you......" - it's just a figure of speech and we accept that. You are the Ian the we know and love, so don't let people try and change you. Really enjoyed you hooning along in that lovely landscape.

[@benholroyd5221]

Who complains about figures of speech?!? (This is a rhetorical question, it is posed as a question, but doesn't require an answer) I mean 'Overtake' was a hunting term I believe, and in a car context makes no sense, you didn't go over it, or take it, and I assume you didn't slay that poor little Nissan that was 'tailgating'....... Perhaps you should start saying aroundpass?

[@barryhansen6854]

I traveled the forgotten highway back in the early 1990s was a lot different then to what you drove it was gravel from Toko all the way to Taumarunui except for the town of Whangamomona, you were lucky to exceed 40km an hour plus was narrow how time has changed tar seal nearly all the way and maybe that was what tied you the concentration would have been enormous.

[@nainoswad2725]

Bettys loving those bends..she is bounding!

[@thepofmeister]

Nai Noswad I would certainly miss this Car, would it were mine. Is Mr HubNut now missing it is Australia?

[@robinwells8879]

Honest! Staring out of your front window, especially on that journey, is a proper treat you know and not a hardship.

[@robertngreen6]

It's Wales on steroids through those mountains! Super video Mr HubNut, you are making us all wish to go to NZ and drive lovely old cars around!

[@AUmarcus]

It's the north island....not known for its mountains. That's the south island....these were hills in comparison.

[@grahamevans9606]

Drove round most of those roads...stopped off at Stratford a few times. Drove and walked up Mt Taranaki. Fantastic driving roads. Loving the videos Ian.

[@paulrobinson3528]

7:29 surface dressing..............it's painting over the cracks and we know what happens then don't we. My dad, bless him, used to call it tar and feathering lol

[@wj2242]

The scenery along that road is amazing, I would love to drive that road one day to see it for myself.

[@thomas316]

Nice! I was up there this time last year. Other good roads to check out in the Lower North Island are Gentle Annie (Taihape to Napier), East Cape (Gisbourne to Opotiki) and SH38 through Te Urewera national park (Apparently being a state highway doesn't qualify a road for tar seal in New Zealand.)

[@harpsi8]

Wow what a view. You recorded some special vistas. While in NZ. No wonder you ran into fatigue And over work during your stay. I am surprised by the large collection of videos. Your truly a hardworking driver. Very pleasant and enjoyable videos indeed. Your fine narration is relaxing from my tv. Twisting roads described with Perfect clarity. I do like UK voices. Well done Ian. RICH&2 carnivorous kitties LA.CALIF USA

[@bentullett6068]

That forgotten highway was absolutely stunning and gorgeous.

[@TheRealFLX81]

That Forgotten World highway is one of the most spectacular roads I have ever seen. Never heard of it before, so thanks for sharing it with us, mate!

[@dragontom11]

Marvelous video

[@reddermot]

Not boring at all Ian. I never did get to do the Lost World Highway so I've enjoyed this one a lot. I'm sure you'll find Napier very interesting.

[@donnageorge-henderson5419]

Wow, that's very twisty! Lovely views

[@mattwalker4034]

Fantastic road trip, really enjoyed it.

[@heartland96a]

The temp bridge was a Bailey bridge metal frame wood deck overlay . WW2 design . road looks like it would be a blast on a motorcycle ,every bit of it .

[@hobgoblin283]

Not Boring! May be tiring for you but totally relaxing for me.

[@phillipsharpe6459]

That road would have been so much fun in a nice mx5 , how you cope with that much traffic is beyond me ,😂😂👍

[@waltpartymiller6802]

At 5:19 there rests an NB with factory hardtop MX5 off to the left side, surprised it was not duly noted.

[@AndreiTupolev]

A nice day trip to Wagamama. That truck driver was probably thinking "it's not this way? Well brilliant. Is there anywhere round here I can turn round,"

[@abgmac67]

Excellent. I'm going to watch it again :)

[@graemew7001]

Far from boring Ian, the New Zealand countryside is stunning and been a relaxing half hour of video.

[@adders45]

Thank you Ian NZ looks wonderful

[@alanfunt4013]

You have to admit Betty was a pleasurable way to get around. Sure, no setting the world on fire but smooth and stress free. That's my kind of motoring.

[@brentfairlie9159]

Another great video. Glad you made it to Hawkes Bay. Looking forward to what you did here

[@allanfoster6965]

I'm sure you could hear the magnificent sweep of violins in the background. As you share your trials and tribulations😉😁

[@crashbox7130]

Massive Art Deco fan here, so looking forward to the Napier video.

[@martinda7446]

400km in 30 mins.... You were shifting mr Nut. It felt from here like a lovely smooth and powerful delivery. Very nice.

[@peterfinucane8122]

Great to talk to you at the Whangamomona pub while you had lunch. Glad you enjoyed the Hobbit Hole!

[@kevinkeeney6693]

It's good to learn that inconsiderate drivers is an international problem. I used to believe that it was only a local problem. Loved the video. Would like to spend a week vacation in the Republic decompressing.

[@micheltebraake7915]

It was wonderful to swing on the "Forgotton World Highway". I am jealous Ian.

[@mattw8332]

These videos mainly through the windscreen are quite therapeutic. Looking forward to Napier - I love a bit of Art Deco. 😀

[@hardyardsbrewers1225]

A beautiful piece of untouched New Zealand thanks for sharing Ian, cheers Mate 🍻🍻, Mike

[@petewood2350]

Its an even better road on a motorcycle, the Napier to Taihape Rd is another hidden gem, to ride or drive.

[@MartinIbert]

Did you run a stop sign at that railway crossing right after the wooden bridge??? Looked like it!

[@Varinki]

The line has been closed for years.

[@philjones6025]

watching this Ian and loving it, and I know you have long since moved on but we loved Napier....like you when on the move we like to move, we found the "boot it on the straight" brigade. And crawl around the corner were 99% of the time Chinese tourists. nightmare!!! Although not such a problem when they are moving. we found more of a problem when following and turning a corner the emergency stop, abandoning the car for the "foto foto" opportunity, Bless-em, I guess we just don't understand. vids just as good as ever Ian PLEASE keep them comming. Enjoy Auz, look after yourself !!!

[@chrismckay8349]

Ooh excellent. I'll watch in the garage when I finish work while I tinker on the A50.

[@benholroyd5221]

Could I suggest you tinker in your garage rather than on a main road. The A50 can get hairy at times. I'll get my coat.

[@robbyxp1]

Great Video Ian. Ignore the trolls. There is no way anyone could say you were speeding from the video. Its impossible to judge speed from that view. Enjoyed every minute of it.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Unlike the UK, the speed limits on the twisties seem very well engineered, takes the guess work away leaving a long drive just a bit more stress free. Btw, I covered my distances in a Mazda Demio..... nippy nippy little thing. 25:47 Lol... yup, the roads in NZ can be straight, even..... and loooong....

[@nicksss1843]

As a Toyota nut I’m loving your NZ videos!

[@VickersV]

I like your style hubnut.

[@alantorrance6153]

1:45 The "Forgotten World Highway" runs from Stratford (on SH3 about half way between New Plymouth and Whanganui) through some very beautiful, but twisty turney, back-country road, some unsealed and at times badly pot-holed and corrugated, to Taumarunui on SH 4. That road, if driven sensibly, takes about 3 - 4 hours. (Even driven at reckless speeds, it would take over 2 hours -- if he doesn't go off the edge or meet other cars partway around blind corners - in which case it would take much, much longer.) Therefore there is no way he will get over the rest of the route to the East Coast in the time he has allowed. Yes, I have driven that road - carefully.

[@HubNut]

I did Stratford to Hawkes Bay comfortably in a day... Getting to Taumaranui took about three hours.

[@gti505]

Enjoyed the views and the Citroën C6! Will be of next week Thursday to Argentina and Chile for a holiday. Hope to enjoy the gletsjers and so on. By the way... you have not been covering the miles this time, but the kilometers haha. Thanks for an excellent video! Love it! And indeed, we'll see YOU in the next one hopefully. You might be interested to know that the Tagora has passed it's MOT last week, good for the next two years!! I am REALLY happy to report that. Thursday the 605(tomorrow that is)has it's turn for an MOT. This MOT for the 605 will be for valid for 1 year though.

[@marygarner5249]

Love All your videos HEY there Speed Racer 😉

[@pauldavies6037]

Is there anywhere else in the world which has such scenery clean and tidy are where you can enjoy driven ?

[@HubNut]

Wales gets pretty close...

[@johnrobbo69]

"I wish I was in the 2 CV... Betty's handling........." pure Hubnut ;-)

[@garyhardwick8489]

Nice trip.BTW,I'm still surprised you bought a Ford (No,not for that reason!) when there's all those loverly Japanese motors out in NZ.Keep up the good work.

[@phillipkerfoot2389]

this road would be beast in a EP3 type r with some race prep bits or a manual commodore or barra swapped AU or BF/FG falcon with some race bits. deffo on bucket list and NZ to do list

[@pauloconnor7951]

That car was mostly intended for Australia's vastness; but very capable on a twisty less wide New Zealand roads. Yes good cars !

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

We had a Bailey bridge on a road outside Dunedin in the 80s after the permanent bridge washed away in a flood. My mate thought he'd use it as a jump in his old Falcon,he wound it up and went for it but because of his high speed the nose of the car smashed into the incline,the result was a written off car...and bridge lol,happy days.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

@Leonard Carr I think he lived in Mosgiel at the time,he may have lived in Gore at some point,I think it was early 80s.

[@owenpotter2459]

It's not very often I can watch a KZbin video and say "I drove that stretch of road today.", but today I can. I was on Highway 5, the Napier-Taupo Road as we call it. I did have to smile at your pronunciation of Whangamomina. It's that peculiarity of Te Reo, that the "wh" is pronounced as an "F". So it sounds kind of like Fangamomina. Here ends the lesson! LOL.

[@HubNut]

I distrusted that rule after Whangarei! No. Not that one. The other one I've forgotten the name of...

[@vichungerford8960]

I think you mean Wanganui or Whanganui! Spelled both ways and pronounced both ways, just to confuse people!

[@HubNut]

That's the one! Mind blank.

[@owenpotter2459]

@@HubNut Yes. The debate still rages. As a person learning Te Reo I guess there's only one way for me. Not surprised people have confused you over those place names! LOL

[@CortinasAndClassics]

Just about to go to sleep and I get this. Drat. I will try to sleep after the video. Just gone 1 am here in blighty.

[@frothe42]

Wow! 8:33 pm Here in NY.

[@HubNut]

Sorry. Experiment with release time - I usually aim for sensible UK time but thought I'd see if the rest of the world was awake!

[@CortinasAndClassics]

@@HubNut no need to apologise Ian. It's your channel 👍.

[@grenvillephillips6998]

A fabulous, fabulous drive, but so remote, you can see why the owner of the Toyota Corolla (next video) carries a distress flare.

[@herrfister1477]

You sure you didn’t film this in the Yorkshire dales? Looks VERY similar!!!

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

The story of Whangamomona is an interesting is an interesting on and involves rugby, if you want to look it up. Did you notice that the buildings have marks with dates on their front marking high points of floods? I can’t remember what model of car I was driving when I did that drive. Possibly a Toyota Corolla, or it may have been an XR6 that Avis upgraded me to.

[@millomweb]

There's certainly no need to 'apologise' for a 'boring' video of a boring 'road trip'. Your commentary and quirks make it well worth watching on its own plus we get to see bits of NZ many of us haven't a cat in hell's chance of seeing IRL. I'm sure you've found, that if you don't record video, something interesting will either happen or drive past and then you've missed the opportunity to capture, IT. So thanks for the video Ian and keep the spirits up !

[@davyfella]

You'll have to come to the town of 'Stratford on the River Avon' (yes, it is called that) here in Victoria