Karangahake Gorge - This Time in the Sun :)

After leaving Hobbiton we spent the night at Dickey Flat, a free DOC campsite next to the Waitawheta river. It's a beautiful spot, very close to Karangahake Gorge. Since I have only seen the Gorge in bad weather before, I was glad to wake up to sunshine the next morning. I had a nice little walk along misty fields and when the sun was a bit further out, we had a bath in the river. The weather is great so far, we have warm, sunny days and mild nights. And the actual summer hasn't even started yet!
After our encounter with the cool river we headed out into the sun again – onto the Karangahake walkway, leading alongside the river and through the bush, with old pipes running along the way and many great views of the Gorge. The walkway partly leads through old mining tunnels and along railway tracks. They dug their way all through the steep hills and way underneath, creating a tunnel network of many levels, with entrances everywhere along the track.
Though the track itself was quite easy, it felt like a great adventure. A pity I didn't get to climb there this day, but the views from the higher walkway are breathtaking, too!