When you think of walking in the Coromandel, you probably think about coastal tracks, but one of the best walks in the area is actually in the interior. The Karangahake Windows Walk is a great track from start to finish. You’ll walk over a swing bridge before heading along the disused tramway and into a series of old gold mining tunnels. The tunnels are a lot of fun and have fantastic views into the spectacular gorge below.
However, if you’re looking for more of an adventure, return at night to witness one of the most magical glow worm dells on the North Island. The tunnel ceiling is at points only a little above head height and the effect is like walking under a starry night sky. Best of all it’s not well known as a nighttime track, so you’ll likely get this incredible experience all to yourself.
Here’s what to expect on the Windows Walk, by day and by night.
The Karangahake Windows Walk
The stats
Distance: 2.3km return (including walking through the tunnel)
Elevation gain: 50m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
Trailhead: Karangahake Gorge Car Park
Summary: The Windows Walk used to be a loop track, but sadly due to unstable terrain, it is now a partial loop. You can no longer visit the old pumphouse, but the walk is still very much worth it.
It also seems unlikely the full circuit will ever reopen based on the DOC track alerts. The current trail is all on a well formed path and whilst there are some stairs, there is also plenty of flat track.
It can be a little damp and muddy inside the tunnels, but despite visiting after three days torrential rain in winter, it wasn’t too bad at all.
Starting the trail
From the Karangahake Gorge parking area you’ll head past the toilet block and over the suspension bridge you can see ahead of you. You’ll then head left and almost immediately reach a second suspension bridge.
Both bridges offer lovely river views and have some sway, but not enough to be unnerving for most people.
On the other side of the second bridge you’ll reach some of the remains of the old battery and there’s a signpost here indicating the Windows Walk is to your right.
Ignore the sign suggesting you need an hour to explore as this relates to when the pumphouse was open and assuming that it’s not, the walk will be much shorter.
Heading along the tramline
From the junction you’ll head up some stairs before reaching another junction 50m later. You’ll continue uphill to the left and see an old mine shaft on your left 37m later. It’s grated and the path to reach the doorway is muddy, much more so than the other mine shafts, so you don’t really need to walk right up to it.
Just over 30m later you’ll reach the start of the remains of the old tramway and continue uphill. Just 60m later the path flattens and that’s the end of the uphill sections on this track.
At the top of the stairs you’ll reach a junction and you can head left for a brief detour to a lookout. There’s another mine shaft almost immediately on your right and then 80m later you’ll see some old ore kilns. You’re now just 80m from the lookout, it’s a nice enough view over the river, but nowhere near as good as the view from the windows inside the gold mining tunnels.
My favourite bit about this little detour was the chance to do some extra walking on the old tram lines which are surrounded by beautiful tree ferns. This is the remains of the old Woodstock Tramway, much of which still appears in great condition and it’s a fun and picturesque part of the walk.
From the lookout you retrace your steps back to the junction and then head right, towards the tunnels, which are 320m away. There are some more old mining remnants along the way.
The old gold mining tunnels
The tunnels run for 350m with a couple of short more open sections inbetween. The ceiling height varies at points, but is never at a level where you can’t comfortably walk upright. There are some puddles and light mud, but you can avoid them easily enough.
Walking through in the daytime is fun and you’ll see a smattering of glow worms in the ceiling crevices of the darker sections. Roughly 190m in there’s also another mine shaft. However, what makes it that extra bit special are the four ‘windows’ (openings) which offer spectacular views out to the gorge.
These windows are fantastic, though they are what stop you seeing the glow worms by day - enough light comes through that you can only see very minimal numbers.
Once you reach the end of the tunnels you’ll emerge back into the open and see a staircase leading downhill. This leads to another suspension bridge which would have originally taken you to the old pumphouse and allowed you to walk along the trail on the other side of the river.
However, the closure is at the bridge (you can’t walk over the bridge anymore) so this is the point at which you retrace your steps.
An alternative option if you want a longer walk is to continue to Dickey Flat Campground, which is said to have a lovely swimming hole. As we were visiting in winter, we decided to save that one for another day!
Completing the partial circuit
As mentioned you can no longer complete the full circuit walk via the pumphouse, but you can go a slightly different route back. Retrace your steps back through the tunnels and part way along the tramline, keeping an eye out for a turning on your left, roughly 250m after the tunnel exit.
There are a series of wooden steps leading downhill. After 100m you’ll come to a viewpoint over where the aerial tramway used to be (a flying fox which transported the ore across the river).
However, it’s the next section which was a lot more atmospheric, you walk through the remains of the Talisman Battery, which is now a series of old ruins that is slowly being reclaimed by the forest.
The path will flatten after this and you’re now just 100m away from the second junction where you turned uphill to reach the tramway.
You can then retrace your steps back to your car, which is a few hundred metres away. Alternatively you can carry on for a longer walk along the Karangahake Historic Walkway, though we’d recommend a shorter version of this track along the Rail Tunnel Loop as the walkway beyond this point was not very exciting (it works better as a cycle route in our opinion).
The Windows Walk by night
For a truly spectacular glow worm experience, return to the tunnels by night. You can actually see a few glow worms along the trail and in the mine shafts before reaching the tunnel, but it’s inside the tunnels that the real magic begins. The first tunnel is good, with a decent number of glow worms illuminating the ceiling, but it’s the next two sections (beyond the open walkway inbetween) that offer a really special experience.
Less light penetrates and this allows your eyes to really adjust and take in all the sparkling lights. My favourite section was at the junction between the mine shaft and window (190m from the tunnel entrance). The glow worms here are just incredible, the longer you stay with your torch turned off the more you will see.
You’ll see a lot straight away, but it really is like a starry night sky after around 10 minutes. I couldn’t believe how incredible it was and yet we were the only ones there. All you can hear is the dripping of water from the tunnel walls and the sound of the river far below you. It could feel eerie in that sense, but the glow worms made it feel mystical rather than scary.
The majority of glow worms stopped just beyond the last window, but it’s worth walking the full length of the tunnels as they were in good numbers almost to the end.
Tips for viewing and taking care of the glow worms
Please don’t shine white light on the glow worms, they don’t like it and will turn their lights out. You’ll see so much less if you keep a light on. Bringing a torch with red light is even better, although still don’t shine it on the glow worms directly.
As this is a tunnel environment, viewing is better than in an open dell in the bush but you still need to wait until after sunset. Dusk will be ok, but proper darkness still gives the best overall experience.
To get good photos you need to take a long exposure, this can be with your camera or with a phone that has a long exposure capability. You’ll want a tripod in both scenarios for the best results.
Getting to the Karangahake Windows Walk
The Karangahake Windows Walk is located in the Karangahake Gorge in the Coromandel. The closest car park is the Karangahake Gorge Car Park, which is on the northern side of the gorge (and is pretty much on the highway). You can view it here on Google Maps.
The car park is a decent size and has flush toilets available.
It’s around 40km and a 35 minute drive from Thames, 115km and a 1 hour 35 minute drive from Whitianga and 94km and a 1 hour 30 minute drive from Coromandel town.
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