WARNING: The bluffs may not be passable when a high tide coinsides with a heavy sea.
Before leaving home check the tide times, and check the petrol in the car (the last petrol available is in Glen Eden), then head out to Karekare.
No dogs please it’s a wildlife refuge.
There are two paths that lead down to the beach, one involves getting wet feet, and the other is dry. The dry one is just to the south of the bridge. Walk out to the beach, if it looks familiar it was the beach that the movie The Piano was filmed on. Now head around the bluffs at the south end of the beach.
The track to tunnel point has moved a little to the south, look for orange "Hillary Trail" markers as these will show the way.
The tunnel was once part of a railway line that ran from a kauri mill at Karekare to a wharf at Whatipu. The large boiler on the south side of the tunnel was shipped out from Birmingham for the mill, but was too large to pass though the tunnel so was abandoned here.
There is a large wetlands area here that is teeming with birdlife and frogs.
The area is also a designated campsite, if you wish to camp here you will need a permit. Call the parksline on 09 303-1530 or visit the Arataki visitors centre. You will however have to bring in your own water. There is a toilet though.
The area is a very popular lunch stop with trampers and day walkers so the cache has been placed away from the obvious area, it is a bit of a scramble I’m afraid and watch the sharp drop off. Container is a 1L Sistema painted green.
You may exit the way you came in or for something different there is a quad track that leaves close to the cache that will take you directly to the beach.