Hauraki Rail Trail
The Hauraki Rail Trail is one of the Great Rides of the New Zealand Cycle Trail system, using parts of the abandoned ECMT and Thames Branch railways in the Hauraki Gulf plains and the Coromandel Peninsula.
Territory coverage
The trail officially starts from Kaiaua in the north, and traces the Shorebird Coast along the Firth of Thames, before heading south via Paeroa to then branch either east towards Waihi or south to Te Aroha. In the Karangahake Gorge, the rail trail passes through a long tunnel, which has been fitted with electrical lighting.The trail takes around three days to complete for most fitness levels. It is one of the easiest cycle trails in New Zealand, and offers a diverse range of scenery, from pōhutukawa trees, through lush farm land, and onto some of New Zealand's pioneering past.
Length and extensions
The trail was opened in 2012, with 95% of 69 km completed at the end of 2012, and all of the original length open from as early as 2013.In September 2013, the connecting section from Waikino to Waihi was opened, and the network then encompassed over of easy-riding cycle trails.
Scoping for a further section, from Kopu to Kaiaua along the Firth of Thames' coast was expected to start in mid-2013, adding another to the track. It opened in August 2020.
A new path south from Te Aroha to Matamata was officially opened in November 2020.