Start of our adventures in the Catlins...
This was the first of many short and longer walks Karen and I undertook on our recent trip to the Catlins down in South Otago. We were using a campervan and stayed at Pounawea and Curio Bay while undertaking day walks in the local area.
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| Northern portal of the Railway Tunnel Walk in the Catlin's |
Tunnel Hill was built as a part of the Catlins River Railway which was a minor section of the greater New Zealand Trunk Line. It was mainly built to transport timber from the local hills which was a major industry in the Catlin's through the early 1900's.
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| You need a torch in the Railway tunnel...it's dark in there!!! |
This historic reserve encompasses an old railway tunnel on the defunct Catlins River Railway. The lines construction, using handmade local bricks, began in Balclutha in 1879. The tunnel section was completed in 1896 and the line reached Owaka a year later.
Walking the Tunnel Hill Walk:
The track is well signposted off the main route of the Southern Scenic Route from Balclutha to near Invercargill. The turn off to the track is approximately five kilometers north of Owaka on the western side of the road...
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| Tunnel Hill sign on the Owaka Highway, Catlin's |
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| Map: Tunnel Hill Scenic Reserve, Owaka, Catlins |
There is an obvious carpark at the start of the track that is big enough for about 10 cars/vans and this is located on the right hand side of the road as you head south towards Owaka. Owaka is the largest settlement in the area with a small supermarket, a petrol station and a couple of cafes.
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| Our Britz campervan in the carpark at Tunnel Hill |
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| Tunnel Hill Scenic Reserve carpark, Owaka Highway |
The start for the Tunnel Hill Walk is at the southern end of the parking area...look for the sign for the Historic Railway Tunnel Walk and follow the track.
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| The Tunnel Hill Walk is at the southern end of the Carpark |
This track is a scenic walk through a historic reserve down to an interesting 19th century historic railway tunnel that visitors can explore. The walk follows a fence line down to the old railway embankment which leads to the tunnel.
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| Start of the Tunnel Hill Walk, Catlin's |
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| The track is lined by coastal podocarp forest, Tunnel Hill Walk |
The railway was built between 1879 and 1915 and continued in use right through to the late 1960's. The majority of the line was closed from 1971 including the section through Tunnel Hill. It was cleared and turned into a walkway in the early 2000's as part of millennial celebrations in the region.
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| Southern Portal of the tunnel, Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| The shade gives an idea of how dark it is inside |
A torch is recommended for safety and to fully appreciate the intricate brick work used in the tunnel’s construction. It is super dark once inside the tunnel and while the tunnel floor is flat it is still possible to trip on the gravel. I would also bring a warm top as the temperature in the tunnel was significantly colder than out in the sun.
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| Light at the northern portal is visible, Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Brickwork of the southern portal, Tunnel Hill Walk |
When completed the tunnel was the southernmost railway tunnel in New Zealand.
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| Information panel at south end of the Tunnel Hill Walk |
The tunnel itself is 246 meters long and is brick and stone lined for its entire length. The bricks were produced locally by a mill specifically set up for the purpose. The main shaft for the tunnel was completely dug by hand which must have been an arduous task.
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| Detail of stone/brick work inside Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Approaching the north end of the Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| There is a slight curve in the tunnel, Tunnel Hill Walk |
At the northern portal is a short section of the old railway bed which leads to a vantage point looking out over the surrounding farmland. The stonework at this end of the tunnel is amazing and it is well worth walking through the tunnel just to have a look.
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| North end of the old railway tunnel, Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| The Tunnel Hill Walk continues past the portal... |
There is an information panel at the northern portal which shows how far the rail line ran. It went to Tahakopa down in the Maclennan Valley about 40 kilometers further south.
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| Map of the old railway line, Tunnel Hill Walk |
It is possible to see some of the old rail lengths as they have been used as a bed for the walkway and are poking out of the gravel in a number of places. This was a standard gauge rail line and not the more usual narrow gauge bush railway as this was a continuation of the main trunk line from Northland to Invercargill.
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| Walking to the northern end of the Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Old railway rails inlaid into the Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| More detail of the Tunnel Hill Walk path |
There is a significant railway cutting at the north end of the tunnel with the banks on each side rising from 3-20 meters higher than the railway. It must have been a hard job lugging away all the spoil especially as it was all done by hand...
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| Railway cutting at northern end of Tunnel Hill Walk |
From the vantage point at the northern end of the walk you can see sections of the old rail embankment stretching off into the distance although it is all overgrown with grass and bush now...
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| Northern end of Tunnel Hill Walk |
Returning to the carpark is back through the tunnel making the whole length of the track roughly 800-900 meters.
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| Approaching the northern portal of Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| ...no sign of the southern portal light... |
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| Good detail of the brickwork at the Tunnel Hill Walk |
As you can see the floor of the tunnel has been smoothed flat to allow for easier walking...the rails and most of the gravel has been removed. It is a bit muddy in places as all tunnels leak but for the most part it is dry and could be walked in running shoes.
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| The floor of the tunnel has been smoothed flat |
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| People approaching from south portal, Tunnel Hill Walk |
They really put a lot of effort into finishing this tunnel...that brick work is immaculate and would have needed a lot of work to smooth the inside of the tunnel before it was applied. I read somewhere that nearly 3 million bricks were required just for this tunnel...
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| The bricks lining the roof of the Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Stonework to shoulder height...Tunnel Hill Walk |
There are a couple of small safety alcoves along the tunnel which was a common feature of the times as rail workers would sometimes need to work in the working tunnel. You see similar ones in the Otira Tunnel (...not that I would ever have walked into that tunnel before...)!
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| Safety alcove along the Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| ...go to the light Jon..... |
Eventually you make it back to the southern portal.
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| South portal, Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| The bush grows right to the edge of the Tunnel Hill Walk |
You emerge from the southern portal onto the old railway embankment and then join a connecting track back to the carpark on the highway.
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| Last view of the railway tunnel, Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Heading back to the carpark on the Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Climbing back up to the carpark, Tunnel Hill Walk |
From the connecting track you can see further south into the Catlins...it is mostly rolling farmland at the north end of the region but you can see distant forest covered hills south of you. If you look down the right hand side of the valley you can see the old railway embankment winding along the hillsides.
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| View south further into the Catlins, Tunnel Hill Walk |
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| Old railway embankment is visible on right |
The track here is lined with planted native trees including Manuka, Totora, Kamihi and Kowhai. There is a thick understory of the typical grasses and shrubs you would find locally.
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| Last section to the Tunnel Hill Walk carpark |
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| Tunnel Hill Walk is well signposted to north and south |
The Tunnel Hill Walk is an excellent short walk along the Southern Scenic Drive and well worth stopping to explore. There are not many tunnels like this around the country that you can safely walk through as most are still in use.
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| Back home at the camper van, Tunnel Hill Walk |
From the walk we headed further north to visit the Nugget Point Lighthouse which is about 15 kilometers north of Owaka.
Access: The track is well signposted off SH92, five km north of Owaka on the Owaka Highway in the Catlins area of South Otago.
Track Times: The track is approximately 1.5 kilometers long and will take 20-30 minutes return depending on whither you walk through the old tunnel.
Miscellaneous: This track is a scenic walk through a historic reserve down to an interesting 19th century historic railway tunnel that visitors can explore around. The walk follows the fence line down to the old railway formation, which leads to the tunnel. A torch is recommended to fully appreciated the intricate brick work in the tunnel’s construction.
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