June 2022 G-14642.71-006-R-Rev0_FINAL 10 5.0 ACCESS TUNNEL OVERVIEW The planned access to the Wharekirauponga resource will be via tunnels from Waihi and from Willows Road. Twin access tunnels will reach from the base of Ventilation Shaft 1 on the Willows Road farm property to WUG, a distance of about 6 km. Initial access to the base of ventilation shaft 1 will be via the Willows Road Access Tunnel, a 1.3 km long decline from a portal near to the proposed rock stockpile. Following completion of the main access tunnel to WUG, an additional 5 km long access tunnel (the Waihi plant site access tunnel) will be constructed from the base of ventilation shaft 1 to the plant site at Waihi. This tunnel will enable ore to be transported directly from the underground mine to the plant site without using of public roads. An additional tunnel constructed as a 1.6 km decline branch to the bottom of the planned mining horizon (refer Figure 6) is also proposed. The tunnel heading from portal, transitioning to a dual heading tunnel from Ventilation Shaft 1 to WUG, will comprise: 6,877 m tunnel to access upper ore body 1,231 m tunnel to access lower ore body 5,561 m return air tunnel parallel to main tunnel 1,020 m stockpiles/cut throughs 120 m sumps and pump stations 51 m ventilation access drives Total tunnel length 14,759 m Ventilation shafts Up to five ventilation shafts are proposed along the access tunnels and mine (refer to Figure 6): Ventilation Shaft 1 - 250 m deep shaft at the north western margin of Willows Road farm (refer to Section 6.4) Up to four ventilation shafts at the WUG orebody, including an emergency egress, fresh air raise (FAR) to supply fresh air and return air raise (RAR) to exhaust air from the mine. Figure 6: Long section along WUG Access Tunnel (Mitchell Daysh 2022).
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