New Zealand’s South Island gets most of the international kudos for its spectacular scenery and geographical diversity. But for David Linklater, a 700km criss-cross tour from Taupo to Wellington in the second part of the five-leg series makes a case for greater glory in the North
We start at Lake Taupo, in the central North Island. It’s the largest freshwater lake in Australasia; in fact, it’s about the same size as Singapore.
Local drivers sometimes revel in a lap of the lake and we get a little taste of that as we head from our base in Kinloch, at the northern end, around the western perimeter; flowing tarmac and occasional elevation gives glimpses of the sparkling water.
New Zealand’s desert road is a 39-mile stretch of highway with views abound: a match made in heaven for the Purosangues
From there, colour gives way to the monochromatic Desert Road, which takes the country’s main highway though the barren landscape of the volcanic Central Plateau. It’s only 60km from the southern tip of the lake to the next major town, but it feels like another world.
Barren it may be, but on a clear day there are spectacular views of Mount Ruapehu to the west, NZ’s largest active volcano (last eruption, 1996). On a clear day, but not today. Sunshine in Taupo has turned to torrential rain, which means it’s time to draw upon the Purosangue’s torque and all-wheel drive.
Climbing over the Central Plateau, “Gentle Annie” is considered to be one of New Zealand’s best driving roads and provides plentiful views of the volcanic countryside
We leave the main road again, east towards the wine region of Hawke’s Bay. “Gentle Annie”, aka the Taihape-Napier road, is a remote, rural route that links the dramatically different Rangitikei and Bay districts.
It also happens to be one of the best driving roads in NZ and almost certainly the most challenging of the Purosangue tour: steep, sinewy and impossibly narrow in places. Not too much opportunity for heroic driving today, and not just due to the herd of cattle that occupies the centre of the road at one point; the weather has become even worse.
Before a tour of Wellington’s own Weta Workshop, the Purosangues mastered the undulating roads and rural routes of Rangitikei
The day two start in Havelock north brings a short-lived dry spell – a chance to really make the Ferrari V12 sing on some isolated backroads, as we head towards the Wairarapa region.
Our final destination for this leg is NZ’s capital city of Wellington, right at southern end of the Island. That’s on the opposite side of the Remutakas, the southernmost part of a mountain range stretching down the lower half of the North Island.
Two’s company: Finishing in Wellington, the Purosangues take a well-earned break at the southern end of New Zealand’s North Island
The steep, single-lane 55km Remutaka Hill road is notoriously busy and you need plenty of power to take advantage of the occasional passing lanes. No problem.
We leave the Purosangues in Wellington as we embark on a tour of Weta Workshop: the production house for movie props and effects so closely linked to the films of Sir Peter Jackson. That’s right, we’ve come this far without mentioning Lord Of the Rings. But then, we’ve had our own special kind of theatre to enjoy.
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