Discover Hikuai: tunnels, walking tracks and mining history

Walking tracks, underground tunnels and traces of gold and ore mining give Hikuai a distinctive character. On the Water Race Tunnels Track, you follow an old water race; at Collins Drive, a walkway leads through a real underground mining system. There are also flat trails along the Tairua River and places shaped by mining history. You can plan your trip to Hikuai around walking, history or both.

Tracks through tunnels and along the Tairua River

The Water Race Tunnels Track is a 1.9-kilometre loop that takes 60 minutes. Its history is closely linked to the water supply for the Broken Hills Battery: the old water race carried water from Third Branch Stream to the battery, passing through three tunnels and crossing the Tairua River. The original water race was 3,300 metres long. This track combines a specific walk with the engineering history that has left its mark on the landscape.

The Puketui Walk offers a different kind of track. This flat walking track links two road ends; there is a stream crossing at one end. Along the way, there are good views of the Tairua River, and several loop options are also available. If you’re travelling with children, you can take these practical differences—flat terrain, a stream crossing or a loop—into account when choosing a walk together.

Collins Drive adds an underground experience to the walks: a 15-minute walkway passes through the tunnel of the mining system. Glowworms can be seen near the tunnel entrances. This visit is quite different from the tracks focused on river scenery, the old water race or mining relics.

Mining history on several tracks

The Government Battery Walk leads to the remains of a battery built to process ore during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The track continues to a small waterfall and pool. By contrast, the Broken Hills Battery Walk focuses on a mine that operated successfully from 1896 to 1914. The walk there is easy and flat. These different sites reveal several facets of Hikuai’s mining history, without the two walks leading to the same destination.

The Gem of the Boom Walk also passes through a former mining settlement. This easy loop takes in relics from that era, including a prison thought to have been carved into solid rock. Two stream crossings are bridged. If you’re especially interested in traces of the past, you can treat these different walks as separate points of interest: the water race and battery, a former mine, or the remains of a settlement.

Since European settlement, Hikuai’s history has been shaped by kauri timber, kauri gum and gold. For many years, the Tairua River was Hikuai’s main means of transport. When the Kopu-Hikuai Highway opened in 1967, the Coromandel Peninsula gained easy road access for agricultural produce and tourists. The river and the road represent different chapters in the development of the region.

A longer route and choosing your accommodation

The Tairua River Trail offers a longer walking and cycling route: it follows the Tairua River for 6.4 kilometres, from Waterways in Pauanui through mangroves, native forest and rolling farmland to a point downstream from Hikuai. One access and exit point is opposite the entrance to Lakes Resort on Hikuai Settlement Road. This gives you the choice between the shorter tracks around Hikuai and a route that passes through a variety of riverside landscapes.

If you’re looking for holiday accommodation in Hikuai, your preferred kind of trip can be a useful starting point: are you mainly interested in loop walks and river views, the history of the water race and mining, or a walking and cycling route? The tracks mentioned vary in length, route and theme. These differences can help you choose Hikuai as a holiday destination to suit the places you plan to explore.

More destinations: Pauanui, Thames, Coromandel, Whenuakite, Tairua, Whangamata, Hot Water Beach, Tapu.

For the broader travel overview: Thames-Coromandel District.