Deep in the Kauaeranga Valley, in the heart of the Coromandel, lies one of New Zealand’s most popular day hikes. Formally named the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail and known commonly as ‘The Pinnacles’, this tramp follows a historic stone trail that was constructed way back in the 1900s for packhorses carrying supplies to Kauri loggers, gum diggers and gold miners working in the valley.
Ever since the trail was revamped in the 1990s, the Pinnacles hike has grown massively in popularity and is frequently cited as a ‘must do’ hike in the North Island. Back in 2014, when the popularity wave hadn’t quite reached its peak, my family and I made the trip to Kauaeranga Valley, to tackle the Pinnacles.
Things to know about The Pinnacles hike
The hike, in a nutshell, is a consistent uphill slog – gradual at first, followed by a more strenuous climb up beautiful stone cut pathways. Of course, all of that is topped off by the Pinnacles themselves, a 30 minute never-ending staircase up to the tippy top of a precarious, jagged rock formation.
Interestingly, it’s one of the hikes that I’ve ‘felt’ the most in the days after. My legs felt pretty wrecked. And that’s almost definitely thanks to the beautiful but horrendous stone stairs, but more on that to come later!
We did the tramp as a day trip (which takes 6-8 hours, depending on stops), but there is also the option to complete it as an overnight trek by staying at the beautiful DOC hut at the base of the Pinnacles (about 2.5-3 hours from the carpark). The hut is only NZD$20 per adult, has a capacity of 80, and needs to be booked ahead through the DOC website (yes, it does get full year round). It’s a great idea if you’re not so sure about your fitness or if you don’t want to rush your day. It would also mean the chance to enjoy an epic sunrise from the top of the Pinnacles!
Trail length is approximately 15km total (can be longer if you take the detours or extensions), and you gain about 575m elevation. The top of the Pinnacles sits at 759m and the views over the Coromandel and Kauaeranga Valley are great.
How do I get to The Pinnacles trailhead?
Kauaeranga Valley, where ‘The Pinnacles’ are located, is situated near Thames. The trailhead itself is about a half hour drive from the town centre.
Thames is an easy enough weekend trip from Auckland (1.5-2 hours) – we drove up on a Saturday morning, walked on Sunday, then drove back the same night. However, in retrospect, I would avoid driving back the same day as the hike, unless you are planning to stay overnight.
If you’ve got a tent and want to camp, there are a number of small campsites in the Kauaeranga Valley itself which are run by DOC.
The drive from Thames to the trailhead is winding and unexpectedly long. Stop off at the DOC information centre and grab a map and some info before driving down to the trailhead proper. There’s a parking lot there where you can leave the car.
What is the hike to The Pinnacles really like?
Blessed with perfect blues skies at the tail end of winter, we set off on the trail to the Pinnacles at around 9am. The trail started off gradually enough, a gentle, undulating path. Within the first hour, we had reached the first river crossing.
It had been raining pretty heavily the night before, and we’d heard that some of the swing bridges had been damaged in the storm. That would mean potentially wading through icy cold waters, which I was actually kind of excited about.
The were a couple of hikers wading through the river as we approached, and I was about five excited seconds away from taking off my shoes to join them when someone pointed out that this particular swing bridge was completely good to go, about ten metres down the trail.
With a maximum load of one person, we had to wait in line to cross to the other side, which was a great opportunity for photo taking!
On the other side of river began the consistent uphill climb. We went up, and up, and up.
Soon, we crossed over a small waterfall and were greeted with the most charming, stone trail I’d ever seen.
Because of the heavy rain fall the day earlier, the stone trail was embellished with a tiny, trickling flow of water that made the rocks glisten and enhanced the colour of the surrounding moss and leaves. It honestly looked like something out of a Tolkien novel.
I half expected a hobbit or two to pop up from behind a rock.
For a while, I was completely enamoured by the quaint, mossy trail. It made the steep upward climb more bearable, as I was constantly in awe of my surroundings.
However, beware that the novelty does wear off! Eventually, the large stone stairs lost their appeal and I began to feel the effects of a constant uphill climb. Another two river crossings and a tiring hour or so later (photo stops included) and we were finally on the home straight towards the Pinnacles Hut.
After walking through dense sub-tropical rainforest for the past few hours, it was nice to finally break through the tree cover and get a bit of sun as we approached the hut. We finally managed to get our first glimpse of the Pinnacles – though it took several guesses before we managed to identify which was the real deal!
Arriving at the DOC hut was a welcome relief. The hut is situated a short distance from the base of the Pinnacles, and has some of the most stunning views over the rest of the valley. It’s incredibly well maintained and was essentially empty when we were there (this was back in 2014; these days that would be a rarity).
We immediately regretted not staying for a night – I can only imagine how peaceful it would’ve been.
After a quick lunch break and rest, we strapped our bags back on and headed along the trail towards the Pinnacles themselves.
(Handy tip – leave your bags at the DOC hut for the Pinnacles summit. Our mistake was carrying everything up when we clearly didn’t need to.)
It was certainly daunting to see the Pinnacles getting bigger and bigger as we approached. Even more intimidating was the set of stairs we could see lodged almost vertically up the side of the Pinnacles!
Climbing up the never-ending set of stairs was quite the leg workout. Regular short breaks allowed us to catch our breaths and turn and admire the epic scenery, which was slowly opening up below us as we ascended.
After a million stairs came the fun part – a partial scramble to the summit itself. It started off innocently enough, with a few metal ladders along the side of the rocks.
Eventually, we were using our arms just as much as our legs as we clambered over rocks (and a few strategically placed metal rungs). It definitely wasn’t for the faint-hearted but was heaps of fun!
The climb culminated after around half an hour, at a tiny viewing platform just below the rocky peak. The views were incredible, extending across the Coromandel and towards the ocean. On the other side, we could see the Pinnacles Hut, and the dense forest of the Kauaeranga Valley we had tramped through.
We climbed the rocks at the peak and were rewarded with a commanding 360 degree view over the entire region.
The hike down was in many ways, worse than the hike up. My legs felt like jelly from all the uphill climbing, and negotiating the stone steps became quite physically exhausting after the first hour of going downhill.
To make things more difficult, the water trickling down the stone paths made the rock slippery in places. This meant that every step had to be taken cautiously, and eliminated the option of running down, which I often find is easier on the muscles and knees.
After a few never-ending hours of increasing discomfort and tiredness, we reached the car park and practically collapsed into the car. My legs felt absolutely wrecked, and I knew I would be feeling it for the next couple of days.
All in all, we spent about 8 hours on the trail, which included several photos stops, a lunch break at the DOC hut, and some time spent admiring the views at the summit. The downhill portion could probably be done faster in dry weather, but with the rocks wet I was unwilling to risk slipping or spraining something.
For the reasonably fit, it’s certainly doable as a day trip, but I did feel rushed at times as we wanted to be off the trail before sunset. Not to mention, my legs were killing me for days afterwards – massive stone stairs are the bane of any short hiker, and The Pinnacles has them in abundance! The hut was pretty empty when we were there, so I would’ve loved to have stayed, but I imagine I’d have felt differently if it was at capacity!
Does the hike to the Pinnacles live up to the hype?
Well, I was lucky enough to grow up hiking in the Waitakere Ranges of West Auckland, so in terms of views, I wasn’t actually that bowled over by the Pinnacles. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a stunning view over the valley and across to the ocean – it just isn’t a view which is particularly new to me. And while I’m glad to have done it, I don’t feel any strong need to revisit it either.
Having said that, I loved the beautiful stone trail (although my legs did not) and feel that the hike was worth it for those alone. We were lucky that we hiked after heavy rainfall, because it made the stone, moss and forest look magical – although it did also make the hike a little harder!
If you’re looking for a good day hike with an interesting, history-laden trail, and a rewarding view at the top, the Pinnacles is worth a go.
I’d also recommend spending some time checking out the tiny town of Thames, or taking a drive along the ocean to check out Coromandel – you can literally drive beside the water for most of the way. There are also other amazing adventures to be had in the Kauaeranga Valley – including some of the best canyoning in New Zealand! More on that to come soon!
Final tips for hiking to the Pinnacles
- Given its location high in the North Island, the Pinnacles can be walked more or less year round. We did the tramp in September (late winter/early spring), and as you can see from the photos, it was plenty warm. Bear in mind that we got very lucky with the weather (it had poured with rain the day before and would’ve been very cold then), and this is more of a gamble in the off-season months.
- If you want to stay in the DOC hut overnight, you need to book ahead. Despite having 80 beds, this places does frequently fill up – even during winter. There are also a few campsites run by DOC if you are so inclined.
- Hiking poles would have been super useful for the descent (and I am not usually a hiking pole kind of girl) so if you’re on the fence about taking them, I’d say go for it. The stone stairs are deep, very solid and often slippery, and the impact on your joints is immense – especially if you’re short or have pre-exisiting knee problems.
- If you’re hiking the Pinnacles as a day hike, be prepared for a long day, and stay locally after your hike. We made the mistake of driving back to Auckland straight after our hike and it was not fun.
- Kauri Dieback is all over the place now, and is killing our native giants. Please use the cleaning station at the start of the trail as directed, to help stop spread of the disease.
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