Harwoods Hole is a limestone cave shaft in the Tasman region, on the Takaka Hill near Patons Rock, described as the deepest cave shaft in New Zealand. The Department of Conservation no longer provides a track to the hole or promotes it as a managed visitor site.
The area around the hole has unstable rock and significant fall hazards, and DOC does not provide access tracks or manage the hazards. Visitors who go do so at their own risk. Specialist climbers, cavers and rescue personnel can reach the site. DOC says the Canaan Downs campsite and the nearby mountain bike and hiking tracks remain open, and the Hawkes Lookout Walk on Takaka Hill is open too. Our pick on Takaka Hill for the walks around Canaan Downs, not the hole itself.