It’ll take you around 6 to 8 hours to complete this great round trip walk through the stunning Waitawheta Gorge. Waitawheta Sawmill started operation in 1923. They built a tramway up the Waitawheta valley to get the timber out to the gold miners working in the Mt Martha Gold mine in Waihi and just down the road in the Karangahake Gorge. Waitawheta is one of the most spectacular bush tramways ever built. A relatively lengthy (14 km) section still survives in near pristine condition today.
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Franklin Road car park is a short 11.5km drive from the town of Waihi on a sealed narrow country road. You can only park in the designated car park, you might get towed by the farmers tractor if you block the road off.
From the car park just follow the road to the farm gate. Now follow the orange markers across private farm land to the start of the Waitawheta Tramway. There are two gates and a fence to navigate through. The track on your left as you enter the bush is the 2km, 45 minute wet feet walk to the Bluff Stream and Kauri Loop Walk, now just follow your nose along the Waitawheta Tramway. In the first ten minutes all you will see are the tramway sleepers, the rest of the walk is over hard clay and stones. In about 45 minutes, you should be at the turnoff on your right to Dalys Clearing hut. Just around the corner from Dalys Clearing turnoff is a waterfall where I tipped out my chemically treated town water and topped up with fresh water. It is amazing how accustom we get to disgusting town water. This section of the tramway was very interesting. 15 minutes past Dalys Clearing turnoff you will meet up with the Bluff Stream walk. If you want to hike it over to Ananui Falls it will take you 3 hours and 30 minutes. Watch out for the old railway lines, you might trip over them, you are now at Devil’s Elbow and 5 minutes from the first new Waitawheta Swing Bridge. Just around the corner you can have a good look at one of the old timber wagons before getting your feet wet.
1 hour and 30 minutes to go. In the next 10 minutes you have two giant swing bridges, but this is followed but two wet stream crossings, before you arrive at the old Waitawheta Hut site. The is also the first toilet on the walk. This is also a good site to pitch the tent if you don’t mind the sun hitting your tent till very very late in the morning. 40 minutes from the old hut site I was crossing the last bridge 100m before the Waitawheta Hut. You will see a track on your left just after you cross the last bridge, this track will take you to the old sawmill site. So come back to this track after you dropped your gear off at the hut and made a hot coffee. If you are staying the night, take the track behind the hut that run’s up to Mt Te Aroha. Walk past the new bridge to the bend in the stream 20m, the water here is very good and at night you will see glowworms. There can be rat’s around the hut. If you are interested in looking at a Kauri Dam go back to the last bridge you crossed, turn to the right, no to the left as if you were going home, this is the Wharawhara saddle track. Walk about 40 minutes and keep looking for an old sign post with the sign missing on your right. Turn to the left onto a very old track and walk up hill for ten minutes, you will drop down into a creek where you will see the Kauri dam.
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