Broken Hills Hike

Last weekend I travelled to the Coromandel with one of my Coastguard friends. I have been to the Coromandel before but my friend grew up in the region and knows the area very well, so suggested we did a walk called 'Broken Hills and Puketui Valley'. 

Around the turn of the 20th century, the Puketui gold mining settlement was established in the Broken Hills Gorge. It had a post office, village hall and several shops; at one point up to 200 people were resident in the area. In 1914 the mining began to decline, as did the population, and by 1923 gold mining in the Broken Hills Gorge had ceased completely. The region is now popular with campers and walkers wishing to spend a weekend in the New Zealand countryside.

The route passes through a lot of New Zealand bushland, so it's nice to see some of the native flora and fauna. The first part of the walk was extremely steep, and we had to stop several times to catch our breath and drink some water. Relics of the old mining era are still evident, and the walking route passes by a number of the old tunnels. We had a look in a couple of them, but they were very muddy and wet so we decided not to venture too far in!

Once we had spent what seemed like an eternity climbing the steep face of the gorge, we finally reached the top. At the top of the climb there is not only a fantastic view, but also The Golden Hills Mine. The mine is a proper tunnel constructed with wooden struts for support. It has been deemed safe enough for people to walk through, and is part of the circular route. After a quick snack break, we dug out the torches and ventured inside.....

Within the mining tunnels we saw some fresh water crayfish, some stalactites and some glow worms (bright lights on the dark picture). I also took a picture of a glow worm with the flash on my camera so you can (just about) see what they look like. I really enjoyed studying the glow worms, as when I went to see them with mum in Waitomo we weren't allowed to get too close.

Once through the tunnels we walked through some more of the old mining relics known as the water tunnels. Again, the scenery was amazing, and fortunately from here on, the track was downhill!

Once through the water tunnels, the track wound down the other side of the gorge towards the Tairua River. At the base of the gorge we found a small waterfall, and also saw a rainbow leading into the river.

 

The Tairua River signalled the end of the walk, so we had another quick snack and water break, and then piled into the car. From Broken Hills, we drove over to a small town called Pauanui and had some water-based adventures there. Those tales will have to wait until the next post though as it's now bed time for me!