The land of the Long White Cloud

A couple of hours south of Auckland, New Zealand, starts the Coromandel Peninsula: beautiful beaches, flourishing nature, history, tourists everywhere. In between the most famous Karangahake Gorge and the Pinnacles track, though, Broken Hills lay forgotten by the travelers’ masses.
When I got there I was the only one around. The path was clear but evidently not often used, as leaves and branches had started to grow over it. The shadows of the forest and my loneliness tinted everything of a slightly eerie atmosphere, interrupted every now and then by the warmth of a sunbeam penetrating into the green or by a gash in the branches overlooking the surrounding hills. Brick walls and short tunnels covered in moss, remnants of the gold mining rush, were acting as constant reminders for what I knew was waiting for me: a 500m mining tunnel, long, dark, scary.
I had already been walking for a while when I arrived at a fork that wasn’t on the map. One track was going downhill in a succession of steep, slippery stairs, the other one, barely visible, was going up. I started going down, full of doubts. After some fifteen minutes I was on my way back, nearly running, as it was getting late and I was getting lost! When I reached the fork again I was so out of breath I couldn’t even have called for help. But, hey, no worries, there was no one around to call anyway!
Following the other path I finally got to the tunnel. My relief was short lived: I was on the right track, but between me and the way down there was that tiny, obscure and half flooded worm hole to pass. I walked fast in the small passage. Just a little portion of the rocky walls, incredibly close, was visible in the torch light. A couple of frozen drops fell down my head and my neck. On the ceiling I could see few glow worms despite my light, which I didn’t dare switching off.
After what seemed to be a thousand bends I finally got out in the light and warmth of the day. I made it!
My only regret was not having spent more time in the tunnel to explore, so I would recommend to bring, together with a torch, also someone’s hand to squeeze in the dark. Don’t go in a group, though, or the atmosphere will be gone! Also take a photo of the map at the start of the track, but allow time to get lost. Finally, instead of camping next to the carpark, drive an hour more to Whangamata, and you’ll get up in front of a sunny relaxing beach: just what you’ll need after all the green and shadows.
Enjoy the hike, keep the secret!