Tramping
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In the early 1900's, Broken Hills was a thriving gold mining village. Today a series of interesting walks and hiking tracks criss-cross the area, encompassing old mining relics, tunnels, water races, tramline tracks, concrete foundations of stamper batteries and cyanide tanks. Linking Puketui Walk, Water Race Track, Main Range Track, The Lookout, and Collins Drive, creates an interesting 3 hour loop which can be walked in either direction.
With so many unusual points of interest along the way - three hours passed with surprising speed.
Enjoy expansive views over the gently flowing Tairua River, regenerating hillside forests, the impressive Pinnacles and Kauaeranga ranges and across the plains to the coastline of Tairua and Pauanui. It's a bit of a grunt up to the lookout at the top of the ridge, but the views are worth the effort.
The 500 metre long Collins Drive Tunnel, is one of the highlights of the walk - a fascinating section of the track allowing you to experience an authentic underground mine system.
Side tunnels have been boarded up but the main shaft is still intact. The roof of the tunnel is quite low, and in places where additional bracing has been added you have to duck a little. Torches are vital as there is no lighting, apart from clusters of glow worms gleaming back at you. A raised boardwalk through the tunnel keeps your feet dry.
The Water Race Track is narrow and in some sections steep banks tower above you. You can avoid most of the boggy bits by clambering along the edge, then dropping back down. The track is uneven with several short tunnels adding to the diversity of this route including one you access via a short wooden staircase.
Fact File:
Some sections of the track are not clearly marked, so take a map, or at the very least take a photo (on your cellphone) of the map on the large noticeboard at the start of the trail to help you navigate the trails.
In winter or after heavy rain, tramping boots are a good choice, at other times walking shoes are fine.
While not difficult, a reasonable level of fitness and agility is required, as the track to the lookout is all uphill, quite steep in places, with uneven surfaces and gnarly tree roots. And coming down a little scrambling was necessary, however random branches, bushes and tree roots provide handholds.
Broken Hills is 20 km south of Tairua, or 30kms north of Whangamata. Turn off SH25 at Hikuai into Morrison's Road, near the turnoff to Pauanui. Then follow Puketui Valley Road to the car park at the road end.
Shorter walks in the area include Golden Hills Battery Walk, Broken Hills Battery, Gem of the Boom and Government Battery.
Pogies. When the weather gets chilly over the winter months, or you're paddling in the deep south when it can be cold at any time of the year, quality neoprene pogies will keep your hands toasty warm and dry. Velcro the pogies around the paddle shaft then simply slip your hands through to grip your paddle. The wide wrist opening makes it easy to get your hands in or out quickly.
When camping with access to the car, this 3 burner gas cooker is perfect. It even has a rack for cooking toast and the lid acts as a wind shield. The legs unscrew and it folds up into a tidy, compact unit. We have been using this cooker for over 20 years, so a pretty good investment. New models will no doubt have been modified and improved, but we have never had any issues with this one.
really basic, but don't buy two the same size and check that they fit inside each other to save space in your pack. Stainless steel, bullet proof coffee plungers, are a bonus when space is not an issue.
When bigger fold out chairs are not an option due to space or weight, but you don't fancy sitting on the ground all the time, these little beauties are just what you need. They take very little space and when kayaking fit up the pointy nose end especially well. We have had ours for quite a few years and have used them on frequent trips, so I can personally recommmend these Roamer Tri Stools. Available from Kathmandu, you can often pick them up for less than $20. Check them out 
At some locations in NZ at certain times of the year, and certain times of the day (especially in Fiordland) sandflies or mosquito's can be a nuisance.
Air mattresses: Double and single styles available, perfect if you are camping close to your vehicle when weight and size not an issue. Lengthwise 185cm is a snug fit in our tent, however many of the new ones are 200 – 215 cm and will not fit in some compact dome tents. Many are also double the height, suitable only for large tents.
Stackable plastic cubes are fantastic to keep all related items together and the car stays nice & tidy. We can fit twelve boxes and access from back and rear doors means you only ever need to move one box to reach what you want.