Kawatiri Tunnel Walkway

The walkway is located at Kawatiri Junction, which is the junction of State Highway 6 and State Highway 63, 77 km southwest of Nelson and 35 km northeast of Murchison. There is a car park on the left side of the road where the historic Kawatiri Station platform remains. The platform now hosts information panels that provide details on the history of the rail line and the Pikomanu settlement that used to exist nearby.

The walkway crosses Hope River over a pedestrian footbridge that utilises the old rail bridge piers. The tunnel is immediately after the bridge. You can walk through the tunnel without a torch, though one is useful for avoiding puddles that sometimes form on the floor. At the northern tunnel portal, the old bridge piers can be seen in the bed of the Hope River. The walkway climbs a staircase and passes through beech forest around Woodhen Bend in Hope River, and returns back to the southern tunnel portal to complete the loop. Just before you return to the southern end of the tunnel you will notice a small hollow cut into the rock on the hill slope on the left; this was used as an explosives store by tunnel construction workers. Cross the bridge back to the car park to finish the walk.