Kauaeranga Valley and Broken Hills Brochure And
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COROMANDEL Contents Kauaeranga valley recreation 2 Further information Kauaeranga valley Kauaeranga valley area map 6 Track information is correct at date of Introduction 7 printing but facilities and services can and Broken Hills Location map 7 change. Check with the Kauaeranga Enjoying the outdoors safely 9 Visitor Centre. Kauaeranga short walks 10 Department of Conservation Kauaeranga walking tracks 11 Kauaeranga Visitor Centre Kauaeranga tramping tracks 15 PO Box 343, Thames 3540 Other activities 18 PHONE: (+64) 7 867 9080 Huts 19 EMAIL: [email protected] Camping 21 Please remember 23 www.doc.govt.nz Kauri dams 24 Broken Hills recreation 25 Introduction 25 Please remember 27 Broken Hills area map 29 Track guide 31 Wildlife 34 Further information Back page Cover image: Cookson Kauri. All photos: DOC unless stated otherwise Published by: Department of Conservation Kauaeranga Visitor Centre PO Box 343 Thames 3540 October 2019 Editing and design: DOC Creative Services Conservation House, Wellington This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable and legally logged forests. 9 421005 171273 > R162522 Kauaeranga Visitor Centre. 1 2 3 to Tapu Coroglen Road to Rangihau roadend KauaerangaKauaeranga valley Valley walking walking andand trampingtramping ttracksracks T A P Waiomu Kauri Grove U Waiomu S U M M W IT AIO TO MU T C RACK R O S B Dam IE Moss Creek S H M U O T 720m S Main Kauaeranga C O R O M A N D E L F O R E S T P A R K S Dam ACK C TR R U E R E U Dancing Camp P K E T Dam T Te Puru R A Crosbies Hut C Pinnacles Hut K K TRACK Serviced hut EE The Pinnacles WHA CR NG B A B 759m IT E E W Backcountry campsite R E N K G C Scenic campsite A A Cookson Kauri R Thornton T O BILLYGOAT T Bay T K COOKSON A Accommodation A LANDING R KAURI WALK KAUAERANGA O A G K KAURI TRAIL Y A L NgaVrimsiutor centre L Falls I Bay Trestle View B Powered site Education Camp P T Billygoat Basin U MURRAYS WALK Mountain biking H S BI IE LL B Totara Flat YG Abseiling S Wainora O O AT R T Kauri dieback C Catleys O O Booms Flat H TARAWAERE I hygiene station K T H C A EDWARDS LOOKOUT Tarawaere I A K LOOP TRACK R A T R Dam WhakateStheort walk U A R K Whangaiterenga Bay RA Walking track TA Hihi OUTLOOK 76 728m Tramping track Mountain bike track Sealed road Patons Dam P A Hotoritori T Unsealed road JASPER CREEK O WALK N S K T C R A E R T A I M H Hoffmans T A NATURE WALK O Tararu T Pool H to Broken Hill IO IH A I W K C A ROCKYS WALK TO R T TINKER'S GULLY A K A R A KAHIKATEA WALK K Model Dam Kauaeranga Visitor Centre Kauaeranga Shag Stream Kaitarakihi Cottages 852m PI RA D Kahikatea UN A r U O K R e I T EY v R C LL i A A A R C R V K T A a I NG A g IH THAMES R n K 0 E a A 2 A r 2 U R 0 1 2 km e 8 A A a 4 4 K 5 T 6 u I 1 a A K to Kopu Hikuai Road K R Introduction Natural features It is 9 km from the Visitor Centre to the end of the road, Welcome to the Kauaeranga valley – an ideal place for following alongside the Kauaeranga River. There are fords a family day out, a camping holiday or exploring the across streams along the way that can be impassable after numerous walking and tramping opportunities. heavy rain. The bush-clad hills, rock outcrops, pinnacles, Getting there bluffs and gorges – a dramatic reminder of the area’s From State Highway 25 at the southern entrance to Thames, volcanic origin. turn right into Banks Street beside the service station. Banks The Kauaeranga valley, once filled with magnificent kauri Street veers right into Parawai Road, which then becomes trees, was extensively logged from the 1870s to the 1920s. Kauaeranga Valley Road. The road changes from sealed to Today only a few giant kauri remain – the Cookson kauri gravel after the Visitor Centre. featured on the front cover is one – although young kauri Kauaeranga Visitor Centre, 13 km up the Kauaeranga valley, saplings are spread throughout the forest. Tall trees such as is the main point of contact for track, hut and camping rātā, rimu and tawa now emerge above the canopy of native information, with 24-hr information panels under the vegetation, home to forest birds such as tūī, bellbird, tomtit, covered veranda. The Visitor Centre is open daily (except grey warbler, shining cuckoo, kererū and morepork. North Christmas Day) with extended hours over the summer Island brown kiwi and kākā are occasionally present. school holidays. Hut tickets, hut bookings, maps, books and Kauaeranga kauri other conservation-related material are available, as well as During the heyday of kauri logging, bushmen, using axes, displays visual of the area’s kauri logging days. saws and timber jacks, felled thousands of kauri in the valley. The road continues for a further 9 km to where the Pinnacles The logs were trimmed, cut to length and transported to Hut track begins. streams and rivers via log chutes, skidded roads and bush Public conservation land and tracks within the valley are tramways. They were stockpiled until they could be moved managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). via driving dams. During the 1920s alone, more than 40 dams were built in the valley using kauri timber that was pit-sawn Location map on site. Dams were often tripped in sequence, sending logs Te Puru down the river in huge quantities. (For further information on kauri dams see page 24). D A O Tramlines, such as the Billygoat tramline, were used R Y E extensively in the 1920s for hauling timber by horse or L L A V steam locomotive. The kauri logs were eventually towed A G by steam tug across the Firth of Thames to sawmills on the N A R E Auckland waterfront. A U A K Kauaeranga A lot of kauri was exported but it was also used for furniture, Thames Visitor Centre railway carriages, houses and boats. Kauri dieback Kopu Kauri trees are under threat from kauri dieback, a soil-borne disease. It is spread through soil movement so stay on the tracks and always clean your footwear, bikes and camping equipment before and after use. 7 8 Enjoying the outdoors safely Kauaeranga short walks Tracks are developed to different standards: walking tracks Kahikatea walk to model dam (20 min, 900 m return) change to tramping tracks, so watch for signs indicating this. This walk starts opposite the main entrance to the Visitor Orange triangles are used to mark tracks where required. Centre, passing through native plantings to the one-third Other coloured markers or tape are for pest control purposes replica kauri driving dam. The path crosses the dam as far and should not be followed. as an old water race. You will need to retrace your steps to Choose the right type of track for your group’s experience the Visitor Centre car park. There is a New Zealand-based level. Be well prepared for all types of weather and ‘Treasure Hunt’ on this track. An information sheet is conditions. Have a first aid kit, survival kit, and adequate available from the Visitor Centre. food and clothing, and know what to do if things go wrong. Safety is your responsibility. See www.adventuresmart.nz Nature walk to Hoffmans Pool (30 min, 500 m return) for further information. Information panels along this easy walk introduce you to the valley’s native trees and shrubs. Look for the old water Please be aware that rivers and streams can rise rapidly supply intake that once fed Thames township and associated during heavy rain. Take care before attempting crossings stamper batteries. Hoffmans Pool is a great place for a picnic and learn safe crossing methods. and a summer swim. Track classifications Jasper Creek (20 min, 500 m return) This walk starts at Hotoritori Campsite and passes through Short walk regenerating tōtara, rimu, tōwai, and kahikatea, with several Easy walking for up to an hour. The track is well varieties of fungi and ground orchids growing alongside. formed, with an even surface. There may be steps The walk finishes back at the campsite. or slopes. Suitable for people of most abilities and fitness. Stream and river crossings are bridged. Outlook 76 (1 hr, 1.2 km return) Access to this walk is between Hotoritori and Walking shoes required. Whangaiterenga campsites. It involves a climb up to Walking track a lookout with excellent views of the valley and Table Easy to moderate walking from a few minutes to Mountain. You can return to the road the way you came or a day. Mostly well-formed, some sections may be descend to Whangaiterenga campsite, with a 4-minute walk steep, rough or muddy. Suitable for people with low back along the road to your starting point. to moderate fitness and abilities. Clearly signposted. Edwards Lookout (1 hr, 1.4 km return) Stream and river crossings are bridged. Walking Cross the concrete ford beyond Whangaiterenga Campsite shoes or light tramping/hiking boots required. and walk through mānuka-tōwai forest to a rock outcrop and Tramping track saddle with extensive views of the valley and campgrounds.