Just across the road, there is a river.  Across the river, there is a bridge.  Across the bridge, there is another bridge.  Step onto that bridge if you dare, and enter a world of adventure …

Admire the ancient Iron Age relics, including a strange rusted Relay Map Graveyard, perched above the river and positioned between the two bridges.  How many tribes of long-forgotten orienteers have collected their maps in anticipation, dashing off in a frenzied mass start, only to cross the river and vanish – the only recorded memory of their existence a “DNF” on a faded splits print?

Cling onto the cables of the second bridge, as it sways precariously above the rushing waters, bouncing with the footfalls of fellow adventurers.  Warning: here be spiders, and other potentially terrifying creatures cocooned in a shroud of mystery.

Ascend the stairs and follow the forest path, as it winds its way past an Aztec sacrificial altar, then climb some more, passing below the battlements of a Norman fortress.  Shudder with relief as you edge safely past the rusting doors of a prison cell – who knows how many skeletons and secrets lie within?  Avert your eyes as you sidle past a giant Instrument of Torture, serving as a reminder of the unfortunate souls who fell victims to its machinations.

Finally reaching the highest level unscathed, make your way carefully along the railway track, which leads into the unknown.  Press on through Amazonian jungle, replete with giant predatory tree ferns, until you glimpse a dark entranceway.  Dare you venture into the Tunnel of Doom??

Two quick chopping movements of the hand will provide a glimmer of illumination (thanks phone torch), and you have just enough light to see the low beams, rough hewn walls, and muddy tracks leading you onwards, ever onwards. Fight down rising fear, and head towards a distant shaft of light, seeking it like a moth seeks a flame – or an orienteer seeks a control.

Pausing for breath, peer through a window carved from the rock wall of the tunnel.  Gaze down to the gorge far below, and marvel at the narrow pathway clinging precariously to the cliff face across the river.  After a brief respite, it is time to continue the journey.

The tunnel leads you even further into the mountain, and you hope that your phone battery is sufficiently charged.  You pass others who are brave or foolhardy enough to enter the Tunnel of Doom; all picking their way through the semi-darkness.

Finally, you arrive at a rusting gate.  You’ve reached the light at the end of the tunnel!  A long set of stairs winds downwards into the abyss, but your way is blocked.  There is no other option but to turn and retrace your steps, back through the tunnel and all its terrors, and into the forest.   The railway leads you to the Trolleycar of Trepidation, where you contemplate taking the direct and rapid route down the hill (as long as someone is there to give you a push start).  Opting for caution over foolhardiness, you take the slow route back down the steps, past the prison cells, past the fortress, past the Aztec ruins, back over the swing bridge and the lurking spiders, and safely into Civilisation.

Congratulations – you’ve completed the Windows Walk at Karangahake Gorge!  Time to reward yourself with a delicious chicken and mushroom pie, followed by a decadent chocolate fudge brownie.  Your brush with adventure is followed by a perfect picnic in the pleasant park in Paeroa.