The Pinnacles – Kauaeranga Valley

Yvonne (my hiking companion) recently mentioned she had never been to The Pinnacles in the Kauaeranga Valley.  That immediately prompted an excuse to plan another adventure.   It had been many years since I had last visited The Pinnacles and from my memories, it was a “beautiful easy walk” and one that needed to be revisited.

As I was carefully placing my feet on the uneven, rocky track and using my walking poles to assist me up the high steps it occurred to me, “how interesting it is what you remember” particularly about previous experiences or events.  I remembered the steps but had completely forgotten about how many, how high, and the constant concentration required to negotiate this track without twisting an ankle or something similar.

As I hauled on my pack onto my back, I could hear bouts of laughter and lots of joking from my fellow hikers – I knew this adventure was going to be fun!  Sharing this adventure with Yvonne and me was Brenda (Hamilton), Patricia and Hugh (also from Hamilton, whom I had hiked this trail with a few years back), and their friends Mel and Lindsay (from Auckland).  All of whom are an inspiration because of their age, level of fitness, agility, and living life to the fill.

The walk

This popular three-hour hike to the Pinnacles hut follows the historic packhorse route created and used by kauri bushmen, gum diggers, and gold miners in the early 1900 – 1920s to carry supplies.

The track meanders through pungas, nikau palms, regenerating bush, over two recently upgraded swing bridges, and across low flowing streams.  These streams would have once had huge torrents of water and logs rushing through when the kauri dams upstream were released.

As we wandered along the trail, we saw a family of quails fossicking around the forest floor undeterred by us gawking at them!  You got the feeling they were used to hikers wandering through their domain and gazing at them.

We found a pleasant spot for lunch surrounded by bush and down to our left see and hear a slow flowing stream.  Food stops are always enjoyable and, a plain and dull honey and cheese sandwich always seems to taste so much better when outdoors exercising and enjoying the environment.

It is surprising how quickly time passes, particularly when everyone is either involved in or listening to a conversation.  The topics were many and varied and one can learn a lot from listening.

About an hour after a short break at Hydro Camp (an area where you can camp) we saw across the small valley smoke rising from the hut chimney.   It was a welcome sight to see as the temperature had dropped, a low cloud surrounded us, and it was about to rain any time soon.

Lester the hut warden welcomed us and outlined the important bits of information and rules like being out of the hut by 9 am!  We were informed we could only use one bunk room (there are two) because the hut only had a small number of bookings, and everyone had to share the same bunk room.  Lester even went as far as to tell us which bunks to use!! Oh, my goodness I did feel we were being treated as children who cannot make up their own minds about where to sleep!!  Never mind, once we had selected our beds it was not long before we had our packs unpacked;  sleeping bags unrolled, and laid out on the plastic-covered foam rubber mattresses and food bags retrieved.  While all this was happening, Hugh had been into the kitchen/dining area and got the kettle boiling, thanks to a good supply of tap water and gas cookers in the hut. Time for replenishment and relaxation.

The fire had warmed the dining area up and with no cell phone coverage people were not distracted, so a very pleasant afternoon and evening were had.  These hut evenings are always special and interesting because of the people you meet, the camaraderie shared, and stories that are remembered and shared.

We were fascinated by the lateness of other younger hikers arriving at the hut, near in darkness.   We thought they may be part of the younger generation where you “tick off Lonely Planet must-dos” and seeing the sunrise on top of The Pinnacles is a must-do.  Also, quite staggered at the amount of bottled alcohol these young people carried up and then proceeded to drink.  Times like these really show our age differences and guess physically.

Watching the sunrise

The next morning, we were woken early as all the younger people were off to climb to the top of the Pinnacles to watch the sunrise.  It is an approximately 50-minute walk to the top and involves steps, ladders, and rock climbing.  I think our little group had individually decided we had seen enough sunrises in our lifetime and happy to walk up after breakfast and take in the views.

The reward of the climb is a panoramic view of the Coromandel Peninsula to the north, to the east Pauanui, Tairua, Shoe Island, and the Alderman Islands northeast. The view to the west and south was limited because of the low cloud. It was well worth the effort and a must-do – very satisfying. 😊

On our return to the hut, we veered right and visited the Dancing Camp Dam which is the location of a historic kauri driving dam constructed in 1924.  Close by are four beautiful flat tent sites which can be booked, having toilets close by and a tap with running water.  An ideal spot in the summer as the sites are surrounded by bush and a stream close by.

Before loading up and heading back down the track to the car park we boiled the billy (kitchen closed) for a well-deserved coffee and bit to eat.  Lester (the hut warden) was keen to hear about everyone’s previous lives and was taken aback by careers, and ages – he was impressed and no doubt gave him something to tell other hikers who come to stay in the hut!

An alternate route back to the car park is via the Billygoat Track.  We had been advised not to take this track due to poor track maintenance.

I was not looking forward to the return walk, all those downhill steps – aargh!!  Again, I was thankful for my walking poles, as they reduced the downward pressure on my knees and no soreness or stiffness was experienced. Yippee.

We did pass a couple of groups of people with large packs heading up to the hut.  Secretly thankful we were going downhill as opposed to going up.

All in all, it was a great 36 hrs away.  Thank you, Yvonne, Brenda, Patricia, Hugh, Mel and Lindsay, for your company, humour, and companionship – most enjoyable.  Let us do another adventure soon.

If you have hiked this trail, I would love to hear your story and memories of it.

Till next time, GoldCard Gal.

Reaching the Pinnacles Hut in a wheelchair

Here is an interesting article about Wesley Pigg who recently reached the Pinnacles Hut in a wheelchair along with the help of eight fit and strong friends.

Something to think about from Wesley’s story:

“I’ve always had a quiet confidence that we can achieve more than we think we’re capable of, that most of the time we don’t do things because of barriers that exist in our minds more than anything. It’s emboldened me to think about what I do next.”

https://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/an-historic-wheelchair-tramp-to-pinnacles-hut/

Track info

• This walk can be completed in one day or stay the night in the hut and make it a two-day adventure.
• You must book as this hut is extremely popular at the weekends. It is closed between 9 am – 2 pm.
• The hut has 80 bunk beds, serviced, and has a full-time hut warden.
• The track is an amalgamation of several tracks and can be broken into stages:
  • Webb Creek Track to Hydro Camp (2 hours one-way)
  • Hydro Camp to Pinnacles Hut (1 hour one-way)
  • Pinnacles Hut to Pinnacles (50 minutes one-way)
• The track is well defined but does require a good level of fitness to negotiate all the steps.
• History of the area click on the link.

Additional Photographs