Ohura Rd history

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 421, 28 January 1992, Page 4

Ohura Rd history

• I read in a recent Wanganui Chronicle an article by Athol Kirk: "Ohura Rd has a long history." I question the two stories given on the naming of the Ohura Rd. I believe the article has confused the original proposed route of the Raetihi-Ohura road with a later proposal for a RaetihiTaranaki route. I have in my possession an early survey map of the Waimarino printed before the Mangapurua Valley was survey ed into farms. The Raetihi-Ohura road is shown and named from Raetihi to the upper Ruatiti Valley. It was intended that the s.road should more or less take a direct NW line from Raetihi to Ohura, not west toward New Plymouth. The Raetihi end of the road was constructed to the top of the Ruatiti Valley. It was only a short distance down either one of two valleys to Wades Landing on the upper Whanganui River. From there it was a direct route to Ohura via Tokirima. My grandparents were original settlers in the Pukekaha and Ruatiti districts and they certainly understood that the road was to have crossed the Whanganui River in the lower Retaruke area. A study of the present Wanganui and district AA road map shows that today an amazingly few kilometres of road would have to be constructed to complete a link bctween Raetihi and Ohura. The early well known surveyor Girdlestone once told my uncle that a bridge across the Whanganui River would be doubtful. A barge or ferry would be more practical. Wades Landing had very important connections with the riverboat era. History records show that this route was traversed and considered for ihe main trunk railway line. The gradients were acceptable. When Ruatiti sports meetings were hcld in the 1920s, axemen rode through from the Retaruke district to compete. The distance was not considered great, less than 30km. After the opening of the Mangapurua and Mangatiti Valleys there were certainly moves to have a road put through to central Taranaki, possibly via Whangamomona. The logical crossing of the Whanganui River would certainly have been in the Paranui-Mangapurua vicinity as suggested in your article. However, the Raetihi-Ohura proposal was well before this period. These are my beliefs. However, the true historical records may still be locked away in some Wellington

archive.

Eric

Warner

Hamilton