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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -41.20023, 172.18270. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- 14 km return | 16 km return return via same track
- Walking time
- 4 hr return | 5 hr 20 min return
- Track grade
- Easy; Advanced
- Location
- Kahurangi National Park / Karamea area
- Dog access
- No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
Walk to a replica goldminer's hut and the site of the Adams Creek Workings.
This DOC directory entry covers Adams Flat Track in Tasman, within Kahurangi National Park / Karamea area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 14 km return | 16 km return return via same track
- Walking time: 4 hr return | 5 hr 20 min return
- DOC grade: Easy; Advanced
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
Dog access
No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
Adams Flat
Time: 2 hr one wayDistance: 7 km one way
From the car park, follow the old bridle track (Fenian Track). Be aware that just under 4 km from the road end, the track passes across the face of a steep bluff (Maloney’s Bluff). There are no barriers and there is a cliff beside the edge of the track. Take great care on this section and keep children close to you.
Continue on Fenian Track to a clearing known as Adams Flat, named after John Adams, an Irish gold miner who died in his hut on March 2, 1882 aged 49. A replica of a goldminer’s hut stands in the clearing. The grassy area surrounding the hut is a pleasant resting place. Read about Adam's Flat Hut.
Adam Creek Workings and Water Race
Time: 2 hr 40 min one wayDistance: 8 km one way
From Adams Flat, the track to the Adam Creek Workings site is a further 40 minutes. It is from this point that the track standard changes from a ‘walking track’ to a ‘tramping track’ and you will require sturdy footwear as well as a reasonable level of fitness and experience.
Getting there
Leave Karamea on Oparara Road and follow this for 6 km to the lime works. Turn into Fenian Road and follow this to the car park at the end.
Know before you go
Be aware of rockfall and steep drops
Rock fall hazards exist on the lower Fenian Track, from the Fenian car park for 200 m along the track.
There is also a risk of falling rocks in other parts of the gorge.
There are steep drops beside the track in some sections. The largest is Maloney’s Bluff, where there is a cliff beside the track and no barrier.
Follow instructions on signs, take care and supervise children closely.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is published in DOC's official route gallery with an explicit reuse licence. Its original caption and credit are retained; it does not establish current track conditions.
