Take a close look at best piece of road seal north of Puhoi

For the last 9 months this approx 200m temporary piece of asphalt in the above pic has been the smoothest surface anywhere on SH1 north of about Puhoi.   I know, I've travelled it about 20 times so far in the last year, including when the cyclone went through.  Northlands roads were shocking before the cyclone last winter and remain rooted.

The rest of the roads, particularly north of the Brynderwyns are one continuous road works with no end in sight.   Thousands of small patchworked repairs with resultant  hideous overlaps onto previous failed repairs, loose stone chips everywhere.  Lumps and bumps on grades immediately approaching bridges and culverts remain a specialty of Northland road repair gangs.

Mind you, the SH1 Taupo road crews come a close second.  When you're doing 2000km round trips over a week or so, it is very noticeable where your roading dollar is not being spent on SH1 and SH2.

But well done that farmer who saved the day with his land adjacent to the washout on SH1 above.

And now they're about to rip it up.