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Key facts
- Distance
- 3.5 km loop
- Walking time
- 2-3 hr from road end car parks
- Track grade
- Intermediate
- Location
- Broken Hills area / Coromandel Forest Park
- Dog access
- Dogs on a leash only. 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
Experience a real underground mine system on this walk.
This DOC directory entry covers Collins Drive Loop in Waikato, within Broken Hills area / Coromandel Forest Park. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 3.5 km loop
- Walking time: 2-3 hr from road end car parks
- DOC grade: Intermediate
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
Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
The 500-m long Collins Drive provides an opportunity to experience a real underground mine system. This tunnel was driven through the hill in a fruitless attempt to find a quartz reef with payable ore. Dangerous shafts have been boarded up.
You will need a torch for the 15-min boardwalk through the tunnel. Turn your torch off near the tunnel entrances to see the glow-worms.
The easiest approach to Collins Drive is via the Third Branch Track (Puketui Road) or Water Race Tunnels Track (Puketui Valley Road). A small landing 5 min short of Collins Drive marks the start of an aerial cableway that carried ore hoppers to the Golden Hills stamper battery.
From the west end of Collins Drive, a 10-min climb to the ridge will bring you to the Main Range track. Turn to the east (right) and you will return to the Puketui Valley road end car park, approximately 1 hr away. Check out the views from the lookout on the way.
Getting there
Broken Hills is 19 km from Tairua and 27 km from Whangamata.
The two entrance roads (Puketui Valley Road and Puketui Road) to Broken Hills do not connect and a stream crossing is required between them.
Plan your journey so you access your destined track or campsite by the correct entrance road.
Puketui Valley Road entrance
Turn off SH25 at Hikuai onto Morrison’s Road (50 m north of the Pauanui turn off) then onto Puketui Valley Road. It is 6 km to the car park at the end of Puketui Valley Road.
Note: Tairua River Bridge, one km short of the road end, has a 10-tonne weight limit.
Puketui Road entrance
Alternative access is available off the Kopu-Hikuai Road (SH25a), 26 km from Thames. Turn on to Puketui Road 400 m before the Tairua River and Fourth Branch Scenic Reserve. A 4 km gravel road brings you to the Puketui Road car park at the southern end of Broken Hills. You will need to wade the stream to access the track system as there is no bridge across the water.
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 a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.
