Some discussion in the VIP section sparked this idea... It's a simple concept post up pics and co-ordinates of good stretches of road, and share the stories if you've tackled it.

New Zealand - South Island
I've talked about this one before, sadly I negotiated it in a campervan and not the Altezza. But anyway, here's the Crown Range road:

Great idea, this!

Translation isn't always so great though.

Australia - NSW
Here's the famous dual lanes of the Old Pacific Highway. You can see the freeway, well winding beside and over that is the Old Pac Hwy. This run goes from Mooney Mooney bridge, at the base of the image to Pie In The Sky at the top of the hill. About a 150m climb in altitude, and doesn't look much here, but it's a fantastic run.

Australia - NSW
South of Sydney we have the Macquarie Pass, a 700m hill climb which also culminates, strangely enough, in a Pie Shop. This whole area is very low res on Google Earth, however you can get an idea of how fantastic this climb is from the geography alone. 1.5 lanes in some parts, and nice smooth hot mix all the way, with a rainforest canopy above. A fantastic run.

I've tackled it! Sadly again, not in an Altezza, but in a Subaru Liberty/Legacy wagon on our recent trip to NZ's South Island. The whole pass needs to be appreciated, it is an exquisite piece of road, the zig zag section down to the finish near Arrowtown is the cherry ontop. Managed to almost cook the brakes in the Suby when we went down there. Glorious fun!

New Zealand - North Island
For getting out of Auckland to the South, you can't beat the Clevedon road. It is climbing from the top of the picture to the bottom, and although it goes up and down as it winds, overall it is still climbing as it exits the picture. Used in a few lunchruns now.. :woot:

New Zealand - North Island

and as an alternative to get back up to Auckland, the Hunua road is great. As usual, all the really good roads are in low population areas so have no detail on Google.

:D nice street lights on that road !!! he he !!

Here's an amazing road - the Guoliang Tunnel in Taihang mountains (China)
http://thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/2006/1...rld-part-2.html

The world's most dangerous road is considered by some to be the Yungas Road in South America:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yungas_Road













More here http://javimoya.com/blog/pics/200607/bolivia.htm

SHIT that is scary :woot:
I've been on a similar road in India and there was a landslide which blocked the road ... ended up with Kms of cars and trucks lined up no where to go!

Driving is not fun there I can tell you - every corner is a potential death trap ;)

New Zealand



Ardmore Quarry Road, Ardmore, Papakura.

I can think of many many great roads, but my favorite "short blat" at the moment is this road not far out of Papakura, (where I live) this little beauty has a real “Touge” like feel to it and is a great dive in a small car with good handling.

My previous favorite was twilight road (also off Clevdon road) until it got me last year, I stuck my car 100m down a bank. :(

Always a little fun, its only short but it does feature some of the most cambered corners in auckland... Ridge Road, just between Coatsville and Riverhead in auckland... Used to be a great gravel road, but now a mean tarmac road...

NZ - North Island

OK, took me a while to find this on GoogleEarth.
Hikuai to Whangamata.

From memory this stretch is about 17km and features switch-back corners (some with good positive camber, some with very poor negative camber), some long sweeping bends, a 3km dead-straight gorge with perfect visibility, a massive set of S's at the Whangamata end running downhill into a very tight 25km/h (posted speed) corner. the pic only shows about 75% of it, after that (south-west) is about 10km more of big straights and sweeping corners.

It's a two-lane (one each way) state highway with only three or four rest areas to pull off into, no passing lanes and very limited passing areas unless you have big balls and big torque.

Generally it takes about 15-30 minutes to drive it, but that depends totally on traffic. I have managed to get through the S's without dropping under 120 in my Civic SiR, cooked the Bridgestone G3's to the point the rubber changed compound and wore out in about 6 months - the tire guy reckons I voided the warranty somehow (how did he know?).

This is the fun way to decend the Mamakus down to Rotorua. Heading South, it is the left-hand road at the crossroads on top of the Mamaku hills, which are actually the old volcano rim for Lake Rotorua. The right-hand road goes to Mamaku township, which is the fun road when coming North!

This road is decending to the lake, but winds tightly in sections and goes up and down a lot. Last weekend I was zipping down it early in the morning damp (I left Auckland before 7am..) and went around a tight left-hander downhill and almost immediately it climbed into a right over a blind crest. I felt the front wash out as I turned to the right just before the crest, so leaned on the brake a little with the left foot (whch is why it is always sitting on that pedal!) and the tail slipped out sideways. I went over the crest with opposite lock at about 100k in fourth, thinking .. "this could get interesting.." :lol:

When it gripped it came down perfectly on line and rocketed down the crest perfectly, which is why we drive such superb handling cars!

The main highway is in red, and that is Ngongotaha and the lake in the bottom corned

Not sure how many of you Sydney people have been here but last night I went for a drive down Galston Road near Hornsby and it was great. Awesome corners and i went at night around midnight so had pretty much both lanes to myself :D.
Would definitely recommend it if you are in the area :)

Could not find any clear images on Google Earth but here is a pic from whereis ... it looks small in the map but its a good 15-20 min drive.

This is what I used:



Fixed it up for you bud, used the link for 'HotLink to Forums'
Nick

Small part of the Oxley Hwy.....love this drive

To give you a idea how long this drive is..... twisties almost the whole way?!

ooooohh!! That looks niiice..

:woot:

Ditto. :woot:
Where is the other end of that road, ie Walcha to ....

The best road I've driven on in Oz is in South Australia from Loebethal to Adelaide.
40-50km through cambered twisties where the longest straight was about 500m :D

If anyone in the South Island hasn't driven from Hokitika to Fox Glacier, put it on your to-do list. It is by far the best drive i have done, with the highlight being Mt Hercules.

Have to agree with you there Ben.Even going all the way down to wanaka. :D

Even out to Milford sound.That's one hell of a road.(Just gotta look out for Tourist buses) :(

Yeah never got that far down. Was working there for a month but didn't get to explore ..... too much time in the pub after work :D

the buses aren't the thing to worry about. Watch out for Milford fishermen trying to break the record to Te Anau

Now just having a look on g.e and i found this road it might be up here all ready but o well tell me wat do u think



sorry i mean to say that i havnt been on this road but from the sky it looks choice

Not far from where we went with Greeneyes to Hamilton.. Next road over.

Used to be gravel, a RallyNZ special stage, but they may have tarred it by now.

Was a great road, and it still looks good there.

DON"T go and try it out! :P

hell yeah the crown range road is so much fun just watch out for those cattlestops
and 3mile hill in dunedin is a great wee road wen your not stuck behind a works infrustructure truck or gran and grandad

Ha I used to go on a bus to school over this hill few years ago. It is an awesome hill to drive over... also the road between Whataora and Franz Joesf between the lakes, infact the whole road from hokitika to wanaka is just to much fun...not many cops to...they dont migrate down to haast much

Thinking of doing it for the Christchurch meet? :D

The Crown Range road between Queenstown and Wanaka used to be a gravel track 30 years ago. Then, it really was a hairy road especially in the rain with the water gouging out channels all over the surface - insurance companies didn't cover your car. I still think that applies to Skippers Creek near Queenstown.

Nothing though compared to those postings from South America and China

Old Pacific Highway collapses..... news :(

The Swiss Alps. One day...

OK- over 45years I've driven every main road in the North island except one, the one from Opotiki to Gisborne. Finally I headed down there to see friends on my last NZ holiday-



Along the way you will see the usual bits of NZ...


drive over the one-lane rail bridge


and follow the beach-


This is the ultimate Altezzaclub road trip! How often do you see a sign like this!! :woot:


It follows the river for a long way

Climbs into the hills


Runs beside the drops-


With an endless supply of corners every half a Km, marked at less than 65kph!


Get on it now!!

LOL Not a bad drive at all I must admit, the trip through the gorge before Gisborne is a bit rough (well was for me, was in the trusty Corolla...)

Could be done!!!

Not any more!! Smooth tarmac all the way, makes Aussie's roads look third world!! :P :D

Thanks for re-inspiring me Keith. I'm in Whakatane at the top left of that google map pic, so you can see that the trip is in my backyard. I haven't done it in the Altezza yet, but have been along the road many times in the past. After your report I've decided I'm going to make it a day trip one weekend soon...

but man if you like taking the inside lanes there prepare to bottom out or get stuck with a lowered car if you get too close to the inside of the corners (going uphill)

what about the great ocean road in Vic guys I reckon that road is awesome

Here's a cool trip in windy palmy north.

includes the Paihiatua track , ballance road and the saddle road.

winds over the tararua ranges then down to woodville then across the ruahine ranges.