Karangahake Gorge is a fantastic half day hike as a bit of a gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula. You’ll come across beautiful waterfalls as you walk alongside the Ohinemuri river that has carved out the cliffs of this gorge over centuries. The name Ohinemuri is Māori for “the women left behind”. The story goes that a chief’s daughter returns to her pa to find another iwi has captured it. She takes refuge in a nearby cave where a Taniwha lives. When her people return and take back their pa, it devastated the taniwha to see her leave.
You will also find some newer history here from when gold was found in the area and mining began in 1875. The forest has since recovered from its mining battery and you can enjoy the beauty of the gorge and the clear waters of the river on this hike. Left in the midst of the trees are remnants of structures from the gold mining. We had this hike recommended to us by countless people and we are continuing that chain by letting you know all about it here!
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Details
Starting Point: Waikino Station Cafe
Distance: 14.2km
Duration: 4 hours
Difficulty: Easy. Well maintained gravel and paved tracks. This hike was flat for the majority of the way.
When: September
Local iwi: Ngāti Tamaterā
Additional Information: Karangahake Gorge is a there and back hike. If you have two cars or someone to pick you up, then this hike can be cut down a bit.
Trail Map
Getting to the Starting Point of Karangahake Gorge
There is a large parking area at Waikino Station. The café and station here aren’t always open, so don’t rely on being able to use the toilets here. There is, however, a long drop toilet at the Victoria Battery if you need one. Even though our van has a toilet, we found ourselves both using the long drop when we got to it!
The Trail
The Karangahake Gorge trail starts from the parking area, following an old railway in a lush forest beside the road before dipping into a short tunnel to cross underneath the highway. You then cross the river on a metal bridge and are on this side of the river for the rest of the hike. You’ll be able to see the road on the other side of the river as you go, but the sound of the cars is distant enough that it doesn’t spoil the serenity.
Victoria Battery
You’ll soon come across the first of the mining relics on this trail. The Victoria Battery is the biggest relic along the Karangahake Gorge trail, so big in fact that a small tramway tour runs on weekends, taking people on rides around the site. Have a wander around and take it all in, it’s looks pretty cool, but without going on a tour, we aren’t entirely sure what these remains used to be or how they were used. We have since had a Google and discovered this was the largest gold ore crushing battery in the country. Still not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds cool!
If you need to use the toilet, this is your last chance before reaching the midway point of the hike. It is a long drop toilet though, so have your own toilet paper just in case.
Owharoa Falls
A slight detour off the main trail and up Waitawheta road you will find a 100m trail to take you down to the Owharoa falls. The turn off is well signposted, so take the opportunity to marvel at these stunning waters. Just be careful walking there as you have to walk on the side of the road without much of a path. We definitely think the detour was worth it, though! We love a good waterfall.
The Gorge
Once you pry yourself away from the beauty of Owharoa Falls, you continue along the river on a flat track, taking in the sound of birds and little tributary rivers and waterfalls feeding into the main river. We did this walk after a heavy downpour and found an abundance of little water falls along our way. The Ohinemuri River was very full because of this and rushed past in beautiful gurgles and little rapids, which were really cool to see. The next stop along the walk was sadly closed for repairs both times that we have done this walk, so we haven’t had the pleasure of viewing the ‘windows’ carved into tunnels in the cliffs. If you’re lucky enough to find the tunnels open, bring a torch, as we’ve been told they get very dark despite the windows.
After crossing the bridge over the Waitawheta river, the track continues further along before crossing over the river road to reach the tunnel. However, if you’d like a nice picnic spot, be sure to cross over the larger suspension bridge shown here to the opposite side of the river. Here you can read more on both the Māori and Pakeaha history of the area. You have to cross back over to pick up the trail again and reach the bridge to the tunnel entrance.
Hauraki Rail Tunnel
We read somewhere that “claustrophobes need not worry” about this tunnel. We aren’t entirely sure if that’s true, though. Tiff isn’t claustrophobic, but she didn’t particularly enjoy walking through the tunnel. Sure, it is a big tunnel, as it is a former railway tunnel and thus can fit a train in it. However, it is very long!
The tunnel is straight and well lit, but it honestly feels like you’re not making any progress towards the end of it. You can always see daylight at the end, but it just doesn’t seem to get brighter or bigger for a very long time. So see how you go with the tunnel and be aware that it’s a weird almost Wonka-esque feeling walking through it (you know that crazy tunnel ride that Wonka takes the kids on in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Nathan, however, loved walking through the tunnel and was taking cool pictures the entire way through. We also loved the little water drops and rivers running down the walls.
Extra Tips/Info for the Karangahake Gorge Walk
Once you exit the tunnel, cross the river and you’ll be back on the trail to the start of the track. If you have someone to pick you up, you can simply turn around here and make your way to the car park opposite the tunnel. The walk back is just as nice as it was on the way in though, so we didn’t mind retracing our steps here. As it’s a well-formed track and so flat, we made good time on the way back as we had seen it already and weren’t stopping for lots of photos! The flat trail makes this a great half-day hike. You get stunning views for minimal effort too.
We can see why everyone loves the Karangahake Gorge trail so much. We came back with Tiff’s mum and dad when they visited us in winter, and the walk was just as good then. If you aren’t too excited about doing a long walk but still want to see the tunnel, bridges and some mining remnants continue driving past the Waikino Station café and park further up the gorge at the tunnel. You can make a shorter loop from the tunnel to the bridges, the Woodstock Battery and the ‘windows’ mining tunnels.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- Day Hike – Auckland Coast to Coast
- 5 Must Visit Auckland Beaches
- The BEST New Zealand Freedom Camping Spots
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