There were a few campers braving the late autumn chill when we pulled into the Dickey’s Flat campground. Although I’ve never stayed there, it always seemed like a popular spot all year round. We started and finished our Karangahake Loop from the campground to add extra kilometres to our day and make the four hour return drive worthwhile. The loop was an 11km return trip, linking six walking tracks and took us just over four hours to return. There are tunnel sections along the tracks (the longest is around 200m) and a torch is recommended.

From the campground, we walked along the Crown Track until the Dubbo 96 junction. Dubbo 96 is a regenerating native forest that’s well marked and easy to follow. It climbs up to 280m in 2km, with the track pretty steady underfoot. There’s one easy stream crossing, but as long as there hasn’t been a lot of rain, you should be able to keep your socks dry rock hopping. The first 30 mins had most of the uphill section, nothing technical, but once we got through this the track evened out and pretty flat the rest of the way. After an hour, we linked up to the No 7 track and walked towards the Mt Karangahake Walk (via Old Mountain Road). Although the forest was beautiful, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more on a sunny day, with the overcast skies making it feel like we were walking in perpetual twilight.

There are a lot of old mine openings along the No 7 track - these aren’t open to the public. Our torches weren’t really strong enough to see too far in from the outside, but it was still cool to get a glimpse of the area’s rich historical past. After popping out of the bush, the haze cleared enough to see as far as Paeroa. Without the cover of the canopy, we did get caught in some light rain, but that didn’t really last long.

We came across a handful of cars going up Old Mountain Road, probably trying to see how far they can get up in their car towards the summit. I reckon Betty (my faithful RAV) could’ve made a good go of it! I wasn’t quite sure where the connecting track to the main car park was, but the narrow track into Scotsman Gully was easy enough to spot in the end. This was definitely my favourite part of the walk! It was so lush it looked like it was glowing and the beautiful stream hummed alongside us with each step - a lovely respite before the bustle of tourists that would greet us on the other side.

Lunch was on a wooden plinth looking out to the river with curious Pīwakawaka keeping us company. From the car park, people can walk the Windows Walk and Crown Track (this links to the Waitawheta Pipeline), so most start from here. At the time, part of the Crown Track had a large slip and was closed, so we headed up to the Windows Walk to bypass this. As the name suggests, the ‘windows’ are actually openings with viewing platforms of the gorge and info panels of its gold mining past. There’s no permanent lighting in the tunnel, so make sure to bring a torch.

We headed back to Dickey’s Flat along the Waitawheta Pipeline Track - take your time here because the walk along the river is stunning. It’s mostly flat with a handful of uphill sections to keep it interesting. About halfway along, there’s a lovely spot with a small waterfall. This is the start of a dark and wet 200m long tunnel. Some sections of the tunnel had ankle deep water. We even spotted a couple of big weta which was cool.

It took us under four hours to walk the loop back to Dickey’s Flat. Dubbo 96 Track is well marked with just enough uphill sections to keep you honest, leaving the rest of our walk to soak up the views. 

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Ronna Grace Funtelar is a 40-something desk-fit creative, weekend explorer and cheese enthusiast in Whakatāne, New Zealand. She has a big butt, chunky thighs and shakin’ more jelly than Destiny’s Child. Her creaky knees discovered an appreciation for Type 2 adventures in the bush and mountains in her thirties, and she’s been hiking ever since.

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