Walk 12 - Karangahake Gorge

A brave archaeologist once said, "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?”. Swap the word 'snakes' with 'bridges', replace 'brave' with 'timid' and 'archaeologist' with 'writer' and you would capture beautifully my adventure last Saturday in the Karangahake Gorge for walk number 12.

It's a sad fact that the adventurous gene that is raging within my camping/sky-diving/tramping parents is rather recessive in me. I've had moments where I've mistakenly thought I was brave that have ended in near disaster - Being tossed from an over turning kayak going down a set of rapids, while alone on a river in the South of France, is top of that list – but it’s something I’ve come to accept and that my friends accept about me. Part of the plan with these hikes is to test my ‘bravery boundaries’ a bit. Go into forests where spiders live, walk along trails which are a little high, get my hands dirty and some sun on my nose. Try and tap into the Folwell/Hawthorn spirit a little more, and the walk through Karangahake Gorge has helped do that.

I had been looking forward to this walk since the planning stages.  Mainly as it was the spot my afore mentioned adventurous parents used to camp at with their friends in the 1970s, long before the maintained paths and nicely graded steps that we used on the weekend were put in. Also we are starting to head out of Auckland more now, with the gorge just over 2 hours away it felt like a proper day out.

Karangahake Gorge is near Thames in the Coromandel Peninsula and is steeped in gold mining history. Although we found no lucky nuggets along the way, the remains of the old battery, the rail tracks and a lonely mine cart help you to believe you stumbled across an abandoned moment in time and made the hike tremendously enjoyable. After getting us only slightly lost we snagged the last spot in the relatively small car park, nearly emptied our can of bug spray on all exposed limbs and were on our way.

 A bridge. A long bridge. This is your first stop out of the car park. Like a test to see if you really deserve to enjoy the spoils on the other side. Mum and Nikki didn’t miss a beat - they were out and across it before I had time to say “I think I’ve left the kettle on at home.” No going back now, I couldn’t really leave them here...wait, could I?...no it had to be done, and so out I stepped. It felt like it took me longer to walk across then it had to drive down from Auckland. My knees lost all structural integrity and it was as if I was walking on bands of licorice. I managed to stop (no, not just to hold on to the sides) and take a photo of the view from the bridge, which looking back on it now is really rather pretty and not like the swirling vortex of doom I thought I had seen while I was standing there.

You see the fun thing with the bridges in the Karangahake Gorge is they move. Bridges shouldn’t be allowed to move. They should be strong, silent and very, very still. That’s what it says in ‘Eileen’s Guide to How All Things Should Be’ (coming to all good book stores).

So straight out of the gate the limits of my bravery were tested and although initially nervous (read, terrified) I made it across and was rewarded with heckles and jibes from my annoyingly courageous family. Once across there’s the remains of the old Battery once used for mining, a small area for picnics by the river and a spot  to have your photo with wooden cut-outs of gold miners. The tracks then split and you choose your adventure.

We were there for the 'Windows Walk' which had promises of tunnels and amazing views, so we found our path and headed towards.....another bridge!! Eileen is so far, unimpressed.....

With bridge number two behind us and a few sailor-like swear words shared between myself and nature we were properly on our way.

A far grander prize awaits you here as through a crumbling stone archway is an amazing tree with grand, exposed roots. You can't help but imagine yourself, very briefly in a Elfish land.

To get to the tunnels you have to climb a well graded set of stairs alongside a set of old cart tracks which is when you really start to feel immersed in the spirit of the walk.

At the top of the stairs we took a left turn to the lookout where we could see the car park and the bridges just crossed. The gorge was already offering amazing views and with the hard part behind us we were able to relax and just slowly make our way back along the track.

The track takes you past a couple of locked tunnels which offer a crisp blast of air with just one step off the track towards them.

But it doesn’t take long to reach the first tunnel which lies ominously at the end of the track. Torches really are a must as even though the first one is fairly short and retainss a little bit of light, the second one gets very dark and even a small light is a comfort.

The ‘windows’ refer to the holes in the tunnel where you can stop and look out, at not only the surrounding gorge but the return walk built into the opposite wall. They provide some moments of relief for the claustrophobic one in the group (me), those wanting a break from the ceiling drips which may or may not be spiders (me) and for those needing to see that the tunnel did in fact end (do I really need to say it).

Once through the last tunnel you need to cross the river for the return journey via the third bridge. By this stage of the walk I had started to feel I had faced some tests and passed them so ‘Brave Eileen’ was starting to peak out from the shadows and I managed to not only stop on the bridge for photos, but smile as well! Not as genuinely though as in this picture of Mum crossing in 1977.

Once across you can play ‘Spot the Windows’ on the hike back and occasionally the little heads of fellow-adventurers pop out, or you get a quick flash of a more professional walker, with no time for holes in the wall, whooshing by.

 There are more little side tunnels on the walk back, which Nikki had no hesitation in dashing inside of to investigate. The cries of “Wow look at all the spiders” meant she didn’t have to share them with anyone else.

The colours of the gorge are just amazing! From bursts of orange rock, to the lush trees and the very fast river you feel lost in a bubble of ancient time that’s really a shame to leave, and not just because you have to cross that bridge to get back to the car. A walk I would happily do again and would recommend to all.

I wrap up this week by sending a huge thank you to the wonderful team at Kathmandu who this week, have offered me support through some of their gear as sponsorship. I have tried to fit myself out so far with their product as it’s the best for outdoor adventures so I’m overwhelmed by their generosity. This will enable me to be properly ready for some of the colder climates and rougher treks ahead.