karangahake Gorge
Voted 51st of the 101 Must Do's for Kiwis
Many Kiwi’s will have driven through the breathtaking Karangahake Gorge but few will have ventured into the walkways, old tunnels and discovered the rich history hidden in the gorge.
Not only is this one of the most stunning stretches of river in the country it is home to one of the busiest and most lucrative goldstrikes in the country.
The Karangahake Gorge historic walkway follows the old Paeroa to Waihi railway line with the remainder of the track following the banks of the Ohinemuri River. Old mine buildings and machinery can be seen from a number of locations on the walkway
Downstream where the Waitewheta River meets the Ohinemuri, visitors can explore relics of the many processes that took place in extracting gold, from the tunnels where rock was extracted, to the roasting pits where rock was broken down and finally remnants of the huge stamper battery processing plant, The Talisman battery, built in the 1890’s was huge in its day, with 50 stampers crushing rock around the day.
The Windows Walkway would have to rate as one of the most stunning in the area with windows blasted through the gold mining tunnels providing stunning views into the Waitewheta river.
For more information on the Karangahake gorge refer to the feature listing
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