thames to karangahake gorge

Thames to karangahake gorge 60 km

after a late start I ride back into t having a short stop at the doc office to pay the camp frees?(around $9 a night)  leaving t around 11 am I ride back towards paeroa riding on the same road as I came to Thames on stoping at a  cafe for lunch getting into paeroa around 2pm I go into the info center to find out about walks in the  karangahake gorge (the info center as odd hours  as it closes around 3 pm ) riding into the  karangahake gorge I head to the old crown battery site  where part of the old rail line has been tuned into a walkway/cycle way with a 1 km tunnel that has lights in it (thought still take a light with you as the lights are not very good in the tunnel) at the start of the track as I am getting the trailer through a tight part I see a note that say's that the tunnel Will be close for upgrading of the suffice? and the lights at the end of  the month check out the doc web site for more info) as I'm riding on top of the road bridge (the train used to go on top of the road bridge ) I see some people coming from the tunnel on bike's so I ask then to back up a bit as the walkway is to narrow to pass . at the start of the tunnel I put my lights on so I can see where i'm going( also so that other people can see me) as I ride through the tunnel I have a good look at the walls and how the tunnel was made and see a few place where water is flowing down the wall (the tunnel was built in 1904) out of the tunnel and back across the river( on the paeroa side of  the tunnel the road is below the tunnel — on the waihi end the road run's over the top of the tunnel (see photos) it's slow going along the old rail bed as my wheels sink in to the lose gravel (riding around 12-18 km/h) at the Owharoa waterfall's  I head up a side road to dickey flat as there is a doc camp site there (on part of the way there is a  gravel road to ride on to get there) where I spend the night