- Time: 30 min from the bridge car park
- Distance: 800 m
This flat walk starts at the Bridge car park and follows alongside the Tairua River to the Golden Hills Battery site. The track originally carried horse-drawn wagons from the mines to the Golden Hills and Broken Hills Battery sites.
The Golden Hills mines started large-scale production in 1908. By 1910 a stamper battery had been built across the river from the mine, but production lasted only 3 years. The battery used an expensive but unreliable coke-powered suction gas engine that was too large for the size of the reef being worked.
On your way to the Golden Hills Battery you will see two mine tunnels (adits) on your left, one of which is still being worked today. Observe all safety signs. At the battery site look for the original concrete foundations and arches that once supported large cyanide vats.
