Red Rocks on Karaka Track, Coromandel Forest Park

Ranger: John Rich, Thames

On the edge of Thames township is a little-known track which has expansive views of the Coromandel Forest Park and of the striking Table Mountain (846m).

Thames ranger John Rich says the Red Rocks viewpoint is a highlight of the Karaka Track. The spot is a two hour walk from Thames, with good swimming holes along the way. The track climbs steeply to 450m and then flattens along a ridgeline before reaching Red Rocks, near the junction with the Waiotahi Track.

“The Karaka Track is underutilised,” Rich says. “People don’t realise they can access deep into the Coromandel Forest Park directly from Thames. The views east to Table Mountain across the park are spectacular.”

The rocks are red because of the lichen that grows on them and the rock shelf was built as part of a railway that transported kauri logs from the area.

The walk can be extended into a six-hour circuit with the Waiotahi Track, or can be tackled as an alternative route to Crosbies Hut or the Kauaeranga Valley.