Behind
us the valley dropped away, and above
us, the hills of the Coromandel Range
towered. The steps we followed wound
their way around the valley. Each
upward step in the 25degC heat was
hard work, as these steps were created
for the packhorses that carried supplies
for the kauri loggers, gum diggers
and goldminers of a long-gone era.
Our
three-hour trek started through groves
of nikau palms and huge rata trees.
Somewhere in the hills was our destination,
the Pinnacles Hut. Gradually, the
track climbed, as we followed Webb
Creek up the Kauaeranga Valley. Swing
bridges sat high above each river
crossing, each with a sign that their
use was restricted to when the creek
was in flood.
We
crossed the creek numerous times and
gradually the domes of the ancient
volcanoes towered over us. Some were
covered in trees, while others showed
the scars of landslides down sheer
cliffs. A couple of hours into the
walk we reached the open area of the
Hydro Camp. As we rested and replenished
our energy levels, we looked around
at the spectacular scenery and tried
to imagine the busy site in the 1920s.
It was the campsite for the kauri
bushmen who headed up to the logging
sites near the head of the Kauaeranga
Valley. The silence was punctuated
only by the bird calls, far different
to the sounds of men around campfires
in that era. Tui, warblers and finches
flitted around us before we began
to climb the steps hewn from the rock.
Beside
the track were the remains of logs,
left by the kauri loggers. It would
have been easy to walk past and miss
the 'skid road' used to make the hauling
of huge kauri logs easier. Teams of
bullocks hauled the logs across the
level areas before tramlines or flooded
creeks carried them down to the sawmills.
Across
the valley the spectacular rock dome
of Tauranikau sat - a rhyolite lava
plug formed eight million years ago
from the core of one of the volcanoes.
We reached the ridge and looked down
towards the eastern side of the peninsula
and the Pacific Ocean. Our views were
obscured by fog that hung in the valleys
and every so often swirled up and
obliterated the hilltops. The effect
as we neared our destination was awesome.
Ghostly shapes of the tops of the
peaks with silhouetted trees came
and went. Then the Pinnacles appeared
above us and as quickly were swallowed
by the mist.
Below
us the Pinnacles Hut looked inviting
and our last 500 metres from the ridge
was quickly covered, just before the
rain began. As tramping huts, the
Pinnacles Hut was in the five star
bracket, with 80 beds. During the
peak summer season, bookings at the
Kauaeranga Visitor Centre are essential
before beginning the tramp. We were
lucky, there were only four others
sharing the hut. A massive deck amidst
the trees gave us views across the
valley. Out in the mist, tui and bellbirds
echoed their calls. Above the hut,
we could imagine the views of the
Pinnacles, but the fog kept them covered.
Several chaffinches hopped around,
picking up any scraps on the deck
and fluttered in and out of the hut.
As
dusk fell the calls of moreporks began
to replace them. North Island brown
kiwi live in the area and as we sat,
chatted and listened, we were hopeful
of a call.
The small pan that we carried up for
cooking dinner, was replaced by a
wok, left behind by a previous visitor.
Then we settled down to a tasty stirfry
dinner cooked over a gas cooker in
the hut's spacious kitchen.
Nights
in the bush are usually pretty dark
and the low cloud turned this one
pitch black. At some stage the call
of a kiwi stirred the night air. Then
an answering call broke the solitude.
The three-hour walk to the hut was
worth it just for those calls alone.
Dawn
broke and we sat back on the deck
with a cup of tea and listened. Bird
calls echoed all around as the mist
still swirled around the Pinnacles
above us. This scene wouldn't have
been out of place in a Lord of the
Rings setting. The knarled trunks
of trees on the ridges came and went
in the mist. A five-minute walk before
breakfast took us down the track to
one of the log dams. It had been restored,
once used to send hundreds of kauri
logs down to the valleys. The dam
gradually filled with water and then
its load of logs were released. This
dam looked like it would still work,
in spite of its age. Scars along the
stream bank were a clue to the water
levels when the dam was opened.
As
we breakfasted back on the deck the
chaffinches returned and the clouds
continued to swirl around the Pinnacles.
Overnight rain made their ascent difficult
and the cloud obliterated any chance
of the awesome view. We would have
to return in better weather.
Like
most tramps, the trip back down is
never as hard. The cloud began to
open as we followed the ridge down
into the taller trees. A small black
and white bird called as it clung
to the side of a tree. Three more
tomtits hopped and fluttered around
it as we sat and watched. That encounter
with one of New Zealand's less common
small birds was unexpected and a bonus.
An
hour later we stopped beside the creek
and broke out the nuts and raisins.
The only sound was the roar of the
river passing by on its way down to
the sea. Imagine that torrent of water
if it had just been freed from a dam
and carried a hundred giant logs!
Broken pieces of timber lined the
edge of the river, perhaps from the
kauri days, or just from a recent
flood.
Then
it was back down the steps hewn from
the solid rock and the creek crossings.
A few kilometres from the end of the
track is the Department of Conservation
Visitor Centre. Their audiovisual
of the kauri loggers from last century,
brought to life many of the places
we had walked in the Kauaeranga Valley.
The Billygoat Track that bordered
the valley was the site of a bush
tramway. Looking at the images of
massive logs coming down, held by
a cable gave a clue to the skill and
daring of the loggers.
The steps that we had walked up, hewn
into the rocks were on the audiovisual,
laden with packhorses. Hydro Camp's
loggers sat around a brew and their
bullock teams toiled across skid rows
with huge logs. The before and after
effect of the opening of a kauri dam
and releasing a load of logs brought
the power of the water to life.
The
Kauaeranga Valley has so much natural
beauty and history and the calls of
the birds are infectious. It's easy
to see why it is one of the most popular
walks in the Coromandel and the need
for a hut with 80 beds. Next time
we'll climb to the top of the Pinnacles
for that awesome view too.
