Waiouru marks the southern end of the section of State Highway One (SH1) called the Desert Road. The windswept mountain desert sits on a plateau. Waiouru township is 800 metres above sea level and the volcanic cones arise above this. The meaning of the name Waiouru sheds light on it’s unique if sometimes bleak situation. It is a shortened version of “Te Wahi-oru Nga Tangata’, the place all people must pass through.
Apart from being a fuel stop the favoured activities for those passing through are limited to ingesting a good old kiwi pie, and if one has time, visiting to the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum.
Not everybody just passes through. The Rangipo prison in the northern plateau is full of medium and long term visitors, and the Waiouru Army base full of an impressive complement of soldiers of all ranks. Training grounds are vast and often their activities can be heard even further afield.
Though little other than tussock grows on the desert plain and snow settles for parts of the winter, it is home to the legendary yet real herd of wild Kaimanawa horses. These wild horses, which take their name from the range that fringes the east of the plateau, can sometimes be seen from the road. Regardless of horses, views from the Desert Road can be spectacular, and photographers can barely help themselves but stop and snap the mountains.
In the winter months, travellers ought to plan their journey with an eye on the weather as snow and ice often blanket the Desert. An alternative route north from Waiouru is on SH 49. This skirts the mountains of the National Park to the west as the railway does. Heavy snowfalls can at times close both the roads north from Waiouru with closure of the Desert Road being more likely.
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