Broken Hill Recreation Brochure

to Track classification Kauaeranga Rd to Hikuai and S.H. 25 Billy Goat to Hihi TairuaTairua Walking track: Easy to moderate walking from a few · Trig Track FirthFurth PauanuiPauanui minutes to a day. Mostly well formed, some sections may of Thames BrokenBroken Hills d be steep, rough or muddy. Suitable for people with low Hikuai a Hikuai o to moderate fitness and abilities. Clearly signposted. Thames R Thames y e Stream and river crossings are bridged. Walking shoes ll Stream and river crossings are bridged. Walking shoes a Kopu V Kopu or light tramping/hiking boots required. Whangamata i Whangamata u t e Tramping track: Challenging day or multi-day iver k a R u tramping/hiking. Mostly unformed with steep, rough iru P Ta or muddy sections. Suitable for people with good Hihi Trig fitness, moderate to high level backcountry skills and experience, including navigation and survival skills. Paeroa Patons Dam Paeroa Waihi Track has markers, poles or rock cairns. Expect river Waihi crossings. Tramping/hiking boots required. Gem of the Boom Walk Hihi Trig to Bridge Car park Ge Kopu - Hikuai Road m of th e Enjoying the outdoors safely Broken Hills Boom to Kopu - Summit Track Broken Hills Creek to Battery Hikuai Rd P Campground Tracks are developed to different standards and in some a Broken Hills to n instances, walking tracks change to tramping trackstracks soso S Puketui Valley Battery Walk t watch for signs indicating this. Orange triangles are used to re Roadend Car park watch for signs indicating this. Orange triangles are used to a m mark tracks where required. Other coloured markers are for D a Government m Main Range Track pest-control purposes and should not be followed. Battery Golden Hills Choose the type of track that best suits the skills and Battery Walk abilities of your group. Be well prepared for all types of Water Race weather and conditions. Have a first aid kit and survival Tunnels Golden Hills kit and know what to do if things go wrong. Safety is your Battery responsibility. Collins Drive Puketui Walk Check water levels before attempting to cross streams or Car Park Water Race Link Track rivers. Learn safe crossing methods. Track times are based on an average family group. They are Toilets Third Branch Track Puketui Roadend a guide only and may vary depending on the weather and Mine entrance am Car park track conditions. atre S h c Battery site n a d Warning r a B o ird R Mine tunnels and shafts are very dangerous and may be Walking Track Th i tu hidden by vegetation. Keep to marked, official tracks. Do e k not enter tunnels unless they are clearly marked for public Tramping Track u to Kopu - Hikuai highway P access. Carry a torch with fresh batteries. Warm clothing is (S.H. 25A) recommended. Track guide Third Branch Track (1.3 km(1.3 km loop)loop) At the southern end of the Puketui Walk, the Third Golden Hills Battery Walk (800 m,(800 m, 3030 minmin fromfrom thethe Branch Track follows the stream then picks up an old tram Bridge car park). line, climbing up the hill before levellinglevelling outout andand sidlingsidling around the hill to the east end of Collins Drive. A circuit This flat walk starts at the Bridge car park and follows is possible via the Water Race LinkLink TrackTrack backback toto PuketuiPuketui alongside the Tairua River to the Golden Hills Battery site. Walk. The track originally carried horse-drawn wagons from the mines to the Golden Hills and Broken Hills Battery sites. Remains of the foundations Collins Drive Loop (3.5 km(3.5 km circuit,circuit, 2–32–3 hrhr returnreturn The Golden Hills mine started large scale production in of Broken Hills Battery. from road end car parks). 1908. By 1910 a stamper battery had been built across the Photo: DOC. river from the mine, but production lasted only 3 years.years. TheThe The 500-m long Collins Drive provides an opportunity to battery used an expensive but unreliable coke-powered experience a real underground mine system. This tunnel suction gas engine that was too large for the size of the reefreef was driven through the hill in a fruitless attempt to find a Gem of the Boom Walk (400 m loop, 20 min return being worked. quartz reef with payable ore. Dangerous shafts have been from Puketui Valley Road). boarded up. You will need a torch for the 15-min boardwalk On your way to the Golden Hills Battery you will see two This was the site of an old mining settlement, and relics of through the tunnel. Turn your torch off near thethe tunneltunnel mine tunnels (adits) on your left, one of which is still being the past can still be seen, including what appearsappears toto bebe aa jailjail entrances to see the glow-worms. worked today. Please observe all safety signs. At the battery cut into solid rock. It is an easy loop walk with two bridged site look for the original concrete foundations and The easiest approach to Collins Drive is via the Third crossings over a small creek. arches that once supported large cyanide vats. Branch Track (Puketui Road) or Water Race Tunnels Track (Puketui Valley Road). A small landing 5 min short Government Battery (5 min from the Puketui Valley of Collins Drive marks the start of an aerial cableway that Broken Hills Battery Walk (550 m, 20 min) Road car park). carried ore hoppers to the Golden Hills stamper battery. It is an easy flat walk from the northern endend ofof thethe BridgeBridge carcar This battery was built by the government to process From the west end of Collins Drive, a 10-min climb to park to the Broken Hills mine, which operated successfully ore prospected during the 1930s Depression. Only a flat the ridge will bring you to the Main RangeRange track.track. TurnTurn toto from 1896 to 1914. A water-powered stamper batterybattery beganbegan concrete foundation remains visible today. Further up the the east (right) and you will return to thethe PuketuiPuketui ValleyValley crushing ore in 1899. It produced 51,000 ounces of gold, walking track you’ll find a small waterfall and pool—an ideal road end car park, approximately 1 hr away. Check outout thethe worth (at 2011 bullion prices) around NZ$100 million! Sixty place to cool down on a hot day. views from the lookout on the way. people were employed at peak production. The rusting ironmongery seen on Main Range Track the path was once the Puketui Walk (900 m) blacksmith’s shop. This flat walking track connects the two road ends This starts out as a walking track from the (with a stream crossing at the Puketui Road end), providing northern end of Puketui Walk and leads to a track junction The track continues (with a stream crossing at the Puketui Road end), providing good views along the Tairua River. Off this track, a number (1 hr). At this point you can turn leftleft toto CollinsCollins DriveDrive oror past the mine to good views along the Tairua River. Off this track, a number of circular track options are available. continue on to the Paton Stream Dam (another 3 hr), Hihi connect with the of circular track options are available. Trig (4.5 hr) or down into the Kauaeranga Valley (8–10 hr). walking track to Please note that the track changes to a Golden Hills Battery. Water Race Tunnels Track (1.9(1.9 kmkm loop)loop) tramping track at the junction and is not wellwell Take the Main Range Track off the Puketui Walk and formed and steep in places, so is moremore suitedsuited veer left onto the Water Race Tunnels Track. This to experienced and well-prepared trampers. follows the old water race that took waterwater fromfrom thethe Third Branch Stream across the Tairua River via three tunnels to drive the Broken Hills Battery. The original Remains of the concrete tunnels to drive the Broken Hills Battery. The original foundations that supported race was 3300 m long. At the southern end, the tracktrack (Left) Tōwai— cyanide vats, Golden Hills joins the Water Race Link Track,Track, wherewhere youyou cancan eithereither close-up of flowers. Battery. Photo: DOC. Battery. Photo: DOC. drop down a stepped track for 15 min to the Puketui Photo: Terry Greene. (Right) Walk and return to where you started, or climb up to Fivefinger.Photo: the Third Branch Track and onto Collins Drive. Dave Crouchley..

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