Pinnacles Tramp, Kauaeranga Valley, Coromandel

What: 5-6 hour day hike (or can stay in Pinnacles Hut overnight for approx. $15 per person, book in advance!)
When: Summertime is best! (track can get a bit boggy in winter)
Where: Turn off to Kauaeranga Valley Road, 2km south of Thames, North Island, NZ.  


How...


Finding the start-point to the track proved to be one of the trickiest parts of the hike! Kauaeranga Valley Road is long, windy, and rather dusty (car will most definitely need a wash afterwards!)..13km down the road is the DOC visitors centre which is the go-to for any information  on the valley and it's tracks.  Upon reaching the centre we thought we had reached the start of the track, but don't be fooled, starting here adds another 8km to the hike, so once you have checked out the visitors centre, hop back in the car and continue down the the road for about 8km to the road end, you will pass several camp grounds and picnic areas along the way.  

After squeezing the car into a non-existent carpark at the road end(track is very popular in the summer!!), we set off on the gravel track towards to the Kauaeranga River crossing.  This first part of the track is a slight gradient making for a leisurely stroll through native Kauri forest.  Upon reaching the river it can be crossed in one of two ways - via swing-bridge or rock-hopping, depending on the river level! After a quick game of swing-bridge see-saw (sorry DOC), it was time to tackle the stairs which seemed to dominate the rest of the ascent.  


After a solid hour of step workout and a couple more swing-bridges we reached 'Hydro Camp', a base used by workers to erecting power lines over the range seventy-odd years ago. Hydro Camp is a nice clearing with some make-shift log seats, a creek, and a good place to refuel if needed. 

The ascent from Hydro Camp to the Pinnacles Hut was a a further 40 minutes through Kauri forest, finally breaching the tops of the Coromandel Range, catching some breathtaking views of the ranges and a glimpse of the Pinnacles themselves.  


As we were just doing the day hike we bypassed the Pinnacles Hut and began the steep climb up the Pinnacles.  With looming staircases, steep rock faces and several ladders, this part of the hike was definitely the most challenging.  However, once the rocks were scaled and the top reached we were rewarded by epic panoramic views over the Coromandel Peninsula and surrounding ranges.  To the east Tairua/Pauanui can be spotted with views of the firth of Thames to the west.  The day we went up was cloudy and overcast so with views like that I can only imagine how spectacular it would look on a clear day!


The return trip to the start of the track took about 1.5 hours, with the stairs looking a lot more attractive from the top down! An awesome day tramp although will definitely be booking into the Pinnacles Hut for an overnighter next time as I imagine the sunrise from the Pinnacles would be quite spectacular!