Voted 67th of the 101 Must Do's for Kiwis
The stunning Kaueranga Valley,
located upriver from Thames is one of New Zealand’s true hidden
treasures. Of the many popular historic walks in the foothills of the valley,
the Pinnacles walk rates as one of New Zealand’s most popular overnighters, with an
80 bed DoC hut often booked out well in advance.
The Pinnacles Walk follows the original
steps constructed for packhorses which carried supplies for kauri loggers, gum diggers and
gold miners who plundered the area in the early 1900’s.
The stunning 3 hour walk to the base of the
craggy Pinnacles traverses through groves of nikau palms, huge rata trees, and across
streams and swingbridges. Crossing the streams you can imagine the roar of huge
torrents of water and logs rushing past as the kauri dams upstream were released sending
thousands of huge kauri logs downstream towards Thames.
Overnighting at the Pinnacles Hut is five star
luxury as far as back country camping goes and sitting outside at night you can hear kiwi
and morepork call and watch the mist gather over the Pinnacles above.
An early start the next morning will see you
clambering carefully up the peak of the Pinnacles to see some of the first rays of sun
hitting the Pacific Ocean and offshore islands of the Coromandel. You’ll want
a good head for heights but will be rewarded with 360 degree panoramic views of both
coasts of the Coromandel, the Bay of Plenty, Hauraki Gulf and Plains.
On the return walk you can
follow the Billygoat tramline which also transported logs from the hills, past the
Short Trestle and Billygoat falls before emerging back at the Kaueranga River.
Reaching the summit of the Pinnacles should be something every Kiwi does at least once!
Click here to find out more about the
walks up the Kaueranga Valley
