Hikuai: Discover tunnel tracks and mining history

Hikuai combines underground mining experiences with old watercourses, mining relics and the history of the Tairua River. Along the tracks, you’ll encounter tunnels, stream crossings and views; the activities vary in length, route and character. This lets you choose what to explore based on the aspects that interest you most.

Waterworks and tunnels

The Water Race Tunnels Track is a 60-minute, 1.9-kilometre loop. It follows an old water race that carried water from Third Branch Stream through three tunnels, across the Tairua River and to the Broken Hills Battery. The original water race was 3,300 metres long. Along the way, the route connects you with the history of a facility that channelled water across the river to the battery.

Collins Drive offers a different underground experience: a 500-metre section lets you visit a genuine mine system. Inside the tunnel, a walkway runs for 15 minutes; glow-worms can be seen near the tunnel entrances. Bring a torch and check the tunnel safety conditions before your visit. The 60 minutes for the Water Race Tunnels Track refers to the loop, while the 15 minutes for Collins Drive refers to the walkway inside the tunnel.

The Puketui Walk is a flat walking track connecting two road ends. There is a stream crossing at one end, and the track also offers good views of the Tairua River. Several loop options are available as well. The options range from a loop with a specified time and distance to tracks focused on a stream crossing, a view or another loop walk.

Mining traces

The Government Battery Walk leads to the remains of a battery built to process ore during the Great Depression of the 1930s. From there, the track continues to a small waterfall and pool. This brings historic mining traces and a waterfall with a pool together along the same track.

The Broken Hills Battery Walk also leads to a mine that operated successfully from 1896 to 1914. It is described as an easy, flat walk. The Gem of the Boom Walk offers a different focus: this easy loop passes through a former mining settlement with relics, including a prison believed to have been carved into solid rock. Two stream crossings are bridged. Comparing the tracks lets you find both relics from a former settlement and traces of ore mining and processing.

River history and nearby tracks

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 most important means of transport. When the Kopu-Hikuai Highway opened in 1967, it gave the Coromandel Peninsula easy road access for agricultural produce and tourists. The river and the road represent different chapters in the history of transport in the area.

The Tairua River Trail, a scenic 6.4-kilometre walking and cycling route, runs near Hikuai. It leads from Waterways in Pauanui through mangroves, native forest and rolling farmland to a point downstream of Hikuai. One access point is opposite the entrance to Lakes Resort on Hikuai Settlement Road. This makes a walk or cycle in the surrounding area a separate option to include in your plans.

This distinction helps you tailor your search to the experiences you want to focus on during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Hikutaia, Tapu, Whenuakite, Hot Water Beach, Matarangi, Opito Bay, Cooks Beach, Opoutere.

Return to the regional travel overview: Thames-Coromandel District.