Karangahake Gorge and Waihi

Karangahake Gorge was once the heart of Coromandel gold mining. The highway runs through it beside the Ohinemuri River, with the Windows Walk, old tunnels and the Victoria Battery site all close to the road. Beyond Waihi you can add Waihi Beach and Katikati's murals on the way to Tauranga. It's a good alternative to the motorway for anyone heading to the Bay of Plenty.

The stops

1. Start

   Paeroa

2. Town

   Paeroa

   Home of the L&P bottle statue

3. Walk

   Karangahake Gorge Windows Walk

   Loop through old mine tunnels and across a suspension bridge

4. History

   Victoria Battery

   Ruins of one of the largest gold-ore batteries of its time

5. Town

   Waihi

   Gold-mining town with a working open-cast mine you can see from a lookout

6. Beach

   Waihi Beach

   Long surf beach at the northern end of the Bay of Plenty

7. Town

   Katikati

   Town of outdoor murals

8. Town

   Tauranga

   Port city at the end of the drive

9. Finish

   Tauranga

When to go

Year-round; the gorge walks are best in dry weather

On the road

SH2 through the gorge is narrow and winding with a lot of trucks. Parking at Karangahake can fill on summer weekends.