Karangahake Gorge is a breathtakingly narrow gorge that is great to explore over a few hours. Here are some tips on this fun day hike in the Coromandel.
Shortly after moving to New Zealand we excitedly began planning our first trip to explore the country, but where to go first? It was late winter and some friends told us about all of the fun places in the Coromandel. Thus, we loaded up the van and headed off for some hiking and camping. Our first walk was in the Karanganake Gorge. Wow! This short hike has big returns for a short amount of work. In a couple of hours we explored dark tunnels, saw historic mining equipment, walked over narrow bridges, and peered out windows in the rock.
Karaganhake Gorge Walks Highlights And Logistics
Highlights – Roaring river, mining tunnels and 1 km tunnel, historic mining artefacts, and scenic views.
Location – On state highway 2 near Paeroa on the North Island at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula.
Length of Walks – Windows Walk 1 1/2 hours (2.5 km) round trip; Rail Tunnel Loop 1 1/2 hours (2.5 km) round trip.
Difficulty – Easy
About The Karaganhake Gorge Walks
There are two main short walks in this area – the windows walk and the rail tunnel loop.
This map gives an idea of the layout of the area. The two walks overlap at one point, which means you can combine them or do parts of each.
These walks may be short, but they are well worth it. The rail tunnel loop starts and ends with a long bridge over the river. Then you are in a tunnel for just over 1km! When you enter the tunnel you can see light at the end, so you may think it’s not that long. That view is deceptive as it takes a good 20 minutes or longer to walk. The tunnel is a couple of meters wide and has some lights. It’s popular for bikes, so just scoot to the side when they come along.
After the tunnel a bridge crosses the river and then you follow the river back down to where you started.
At parts the track seems to be just barely above the river below.
The windows loop walk takes you up a side river that drains into the main river along which runs the highway. That side stream is super narrow and has some insanely steep, tall cliffs (gorge!).
The track climbs a bit and then goes into the rock, following some old miners tunnels. Every now and then you pop out of the rock to a viewpoint or just look out a window at the gorge. It’s stunning to peer out this window in the rock and look upstream at the gorge with it’s towering rocks.
A short exploration in the tunnel and then you exit the rock and cross the river on a bridge. The track returns back down the gorge on the opposite side of stream, eventually reconnecting to the main track along the river.
My Insiders Tips For The Karangahake Gorge Walks
Parking can be quite challenging, especially if you visit on the weekend or during school holidays. There are several small carparks located along the road, so if the main one is full head towards Pareoa and look for more parking. Be careful as the road is very busy!
These two walks can be combined into one longer walk, letting you see the best of the area. The two together will take between 2 and 3 hours depending on your speed and stops.
Be sure to bring along a headlight/torch. You may not need it (the rail tunnel is lighted the whole way), but it’s nice to have as there are some short, dark side tunnels on the windows walk.