Karangahake Gorge

Karangahake Gorge

Leaving Coromandel, we had one steep climb up to a glorious view over the bay and across to the opposite shore.  After that, the road remains at sea level, hugging the coastline all the way down to the base of the peninsular at Thames.  It gets very narrow in places, just a ledge above the beach, and some of the bends are so sharp that there are mirrors to warn you of oncoming traffic.

When we drove through the Karangahake Gorge last week it was raining, so we didn’t stop.  As the sun was out this morning, we thought we’d return and take one of the historic walks.  Just as we turned into the car park, the rain started!

This was a gold-mining area back in the late 1800s.  While it is no longer worked, the legacy of the mines is still there, with ruins and equipment lining all the tracks.  We chose to take the Windows Walk, which has nothing to do with Bill Gates, but is named after the fact that there are openings in the cliff all along the way.  It starts with a couple of cable bridges, which sway alarmingly once you start crossing, then you take a steep climb up some steps to follow the path of the old tramway, some of which has been restored.

After that, you walk through part of the old mine workings; they recommended you take a torch for this part, but unless you’ve been eating a lot of carrots, I’d say it was essential!  Along the way there are openings looking down onto the river and track on the opposite side.  A set of stairways takes you back down to the river, which you cross via another bridge and return to the starting point on a path cut into the cliff.

There are longer walks, including one that takes you through a 1km railway tunnel, but this was enough to give a good feel for this gorgeous gorge.

The sad thing is that – as elsewhere – the natural eco-system has been destroyed by industry and introduced predators, which has practically wiped out the native birds and animals.

From Karangahake we headed north again, meeting up with SH2 and SH1 towards Auckland.  We’d driven on some dual carriageways round Dunedin and Hamilton, but approaching Auckland we came across real motorways for the first time in NZ.  We also came across real traffic jams and diversions!  After the third time that Kate – our SatNav – brought us back to a closed motorway entrance, we managed to break out of the loop and take a circuitous route to Ranui, where our campsite is located.  Give me hairpin bends any day!