Waikawau Road is only 4.5km long and quite picturesque but is not necessarily a destination in itself. The reason to go here is to see and ride through the tunnel at the end of the road and onto the black sand beach beyond.
The Waikawau tunnel was built in 1911 by three New Zealand Works Department employees with picks and shovels and was created to allow stock to use a beach route to reach Nukuhakere Station instead of the much longer and more rugged route over the steep surrounding hills. The tunnel was sized by considering the width of the horns of the largest cattle and the height of a tall horseman, in modern terms it’s wide enough to ride a quad bike through with a foot or 2 of clearance on either side.
Access on and off the beach from the tunnel is via a steep concrete ramp and a short section of wooden ramp. The sand at the base of the ramp is VERY soft and it’s not advisable to ride onto the beach without having several pullers/pushers to help you get off again unless you are very experienced. The black sand tends to be finer than the usual golden sand and motorcycle front wheels sink into the very soft sand at the base of the ramp and it is a considerable step up onto the wooden section of the ramp. The wooden section of the ramp is also slippery so even if you get up onto the wood it is common to lose traction once there.
Even if you just walk through the tunnel the beach is a geat spot for a rest. Waikawau is a small beach community and is popular with cmapers over the summer months so there is often other traffic on the road and quads regularly use the tunnel to access the beach for fishing.
Contributed by: @eddieb
Track type: Gravel Road
Track composition: Smooth, Firm, Flat
Slippery when wet? No
Suitable for bikes <650cc? Waikawau Road – Beginner, Waikawau Beach ramp – Experienced
Suitable for bikes >650cc? Waikawau Road – Beginner, Waikawau Beach ramp – Experienced
River crossings? No
This destination belongs on top of NZ’s ‘out of the way’ cool places wall plus involves gravel riding to get there, so deserves highlighting to the adventure riding community.
The tunnel itself is quite a different experience – as in you walk from the road end through a tunnel in a hill right out on to coast rocks, where at high tide the water is very close to the tunnel mouth.
The location is also quite special – with a laid back remote feel – including old caravans parked around the edge of the lagoon.
Getting here is fun too.
From Mokau in the south there is some great twisty sealed riding before hitting the gravel.
From Waitomo or north there are also enough sealed road corners to put a smile on your face before hitting the gravel – plus there are some great places to visit on the way like the Mangapohue Natural Bridge (which would be NZ’s most visited natural wonder if it wasn’t so remote), Marokapa Falls (a proper wide and tall waterfall) and Marokapa Beach (where you will ask yourself, “could I retire here?”).
If you are heading to Waikawau Beach Tunnel, to or from Mokau or Waitomo, make sure you have plenty of gas as there is nothing available in this remote area.