Central North Island iwi Tūhoe want to build a green road through its territory, State highway 38, which winds through Te Urewera - the former park that the tribe now manages.
From the very edge of Te Urewera Road, users are warned about State Highway 38's condition.
Tūhoe agreeing, saying it has a plan to seal the road using a tree sap product known as tall oil pitch, instead of bitumen. The iwi says it's about living up to its kaitiaki responsibilities.
"People come here to be inspired to raise their spirits to be proud of who they are and who we are," says Tamati Kruger of the Te Urewera Board.
"It's the only thing to do. The responsible thing to do is to convert this road to not to be against the values of tangata whenua and of Te Urewera."
Tūhoe has so far spent half a million dollars on a year-long trial at two sites, including one at Mangapae. The tribe plans to invest $6 million more.
But Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones doesn't agree with the trial and has called them hillbillies.
"This type of hillbilly thinking is totally irrelevant to my political mission and I'm not indulging it one inch," he says.
Mr Jones' remark comes after an event to celebrate tar sealing from the Wairoa end of Te Urewera was cancelled.
He was backing the roadworks with cash from his provincial growth fund - the local mayor now wondering if the money will come through.
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