Kauaeranga Kauri Trail (Pinnacles...

Kauaeranga Kauri Trail (Pinnacles Walk) - Kauaeranga Valley

Kauaeranga Kauri Trail (Pinnacles Walk)

Kauaeranga Valley

77 Rankers Reviews

1 Walking

18 Thames

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Marios Gavalas

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Pinnacles
View over the Coromandel

Information

Kauaeranga Kauri Trail (Pinnacles Walk)

14 km return | 6 - 9 hours 30 minutes return

One of NZ's finest day walks past of Kauri Gum dams to a fabulous DOC hut (worth a stay). Then it's just 20 or 30 minutes to the top of the pinnacles climbing installed ladders for a fabulous view of the Coromandel.

The Pinnacles (759 metres) are a serrated outcrop of rhyolite that formed around 8 million years ago. Like a toothed saw they cut the skyline. From the summit there are views along the entire length of the Coromandel Peninsula, from Mount Moehau to Mount Te Aroha.

Walking Track

Access

Access to the Kauaeranga Valley is along Banks Street off S.H.25, 4.5km from Kopu and 0.5km south of the Thames Information Centre. The road bears right into Parawai Road and becomes unsealed after 10km. The Kauaeranga Visitor Centre is 12km from S.H.25, and should be the first stop before exploring the valley.

There are toilet facilities at the Visitor Centre, all the campgrounds and the Roadend Carpark.

The start of the Webb Creek Track is signposted from the Roadend Carpark.

Track

The track is an amalgamation of several tracks and can be broken into stages:

Webb Creek Track to Hydrocamp (2 hours one-way)
Hydrocamp to Pinnacles Hut (1 hour one-way)
Pinnacles Hut to Pinnacles (40 minutes one-way)

After crossing the swingbridge over the Kauaeranga River, the track remains wide, even and metalled. After bearing right at the junction with the Moss Creek Track, the track starts to climb. The steep path crosses Webb Creek on several occasions on its way to the Hydrocamp. The path is well-maintained but the surface is uneven.

The path then flattens out on the summit plateau of the ranges. It remains wide, well-maintained and signposted on the way to Pinnacles Hut.

From the hut, the first section before the ascent traverses a saddle. This tends to collect water and is usually boggy. The final climb to the summit is treacherous in places. The rocks are often worn smooth and require careful negotiation. Some sections are so steep that ladders have been bolted to the rock face. This climb is not for the faint-hearted.

Extreme care should be taken when moving around the summit.

Cracking views from the top though.

Return via the same track, or from Hydrocamp you can walk back via the Billygoat Circuit (see that walk description).

Geology

To the north, the massive dome of Tauranikau stands out like a fossilised egg. This rhyolite plug is the solidified throat of a volcanic cone that erupted in the region about 8 million years ago.

European History

After the first crossing of Webb Creek, the track follows the old packhorse trail. Groups of horses carried weekly supplies to the bushcamps further up the valley.

There are constant reminders of kauri logging - old decaying stumps beside the track, jammed logs in the streambed and abandoned logs awaiting a drive.

Near the Hydrocamp on the right, are the remains of a ‘Skidded Road’. This was constructed of logs laid lengthways to form a channel through which bullock teams could haul logs. This skidded road was used to transport logs from Condemned Creek to Webb Creek, from where they were driven down to the valley floor.

The Hydrocamp was used as a campsite in the 1940’s when the power lines to the east coast were erected.

Webb Creek is named after Sam Webb, who was given the contract to log kauri from the Billygoat Stream area in the 1880’s.

From near the hut, there are extensive views towards the Hauraki Plains to the south-east.

There is a signposted detour from the Pinnacles Hut (5 minutes one-way) to the Dancing Camp Dam. This was the second largest dam in the Kauaeranga and was built by Jim Angel in 1924. The gate planks were attached by cables and could be reset after each drive.

The Pinnacles Hut was completed in 1995 and has 80 bunks. Day walkers who use the facilities should leave a donation. Those wishing to stay the night should book at the Kauaeranga Visitor Centre well in advance of their trip. Toilet facilities are available.

Feature

The generous rainfall of Coromandel’s maritime climate nurtures the impenetrable forest of the Coromandel Range, once ruled by the majestic kauri (Agathis australis). Dominating the canopy with a monumental presence, the gracefully spreading crowns were supported by straight untapering boles of monolithic proportions. With a girth commonly exceeding 10 metres (although rare today) and a height to the crown approaching 50 metres, the kauri was once king of the Kauaeranga Valley forest.

Following the discovery of gold-bearing quartz reefs near Thames in 1867, goldmining on the Coromandel started in earnest. Within a year the population of Thames had climbed to 18,000 and new stamper batteries were being erected as fast as new claims were being discovered. Large companies were taking control of the goldfields and investing huge sums of money to develop the infrastructure for ore processing.

Logging of Kauaeranga’s kauri was in response to the demand for timber to fuel the booming Thames goldrush. With the rampant development came an insatiable demand for quality timber to construct houses, shops, hotels and supports for the structures in the mining tunnels and shafts.

The Thames Water Race was built between 1873 and 1876 to provide the rapidly-expanding town with a water supply. It was originally constructed to power the stamper batteries, which crushed the ore derived from the labyrinth of mines working in the town’s vicinity. It was 14 km long, flowed into the Waiokaraka reservoir and cost £80,000 to build. It was such a significant undertaking that the amount of timber and roading required for its construction had the effect of opening up the valley for subsequent logging. This construction used a huge quantity of timber, all derived from the Kauaeranga.

In 1871 the first cutting rights were secured by the Stone Brothers. They built booms at Parawai and a sawmill at Shortland, near the mouth of the Kauaeranga River. They subcontracted the responsibility for logging Kauaeranga’s kauri forests to bushmen, who led teams to the Billygoat and Webb Streams.

Among the first casualties to face the saw were the most accessible specimens lining the banks of the chuckling Kauaeranga River. The lower reaches of the Mangakirikiri and Mangarehu tributaries were next.

To fell a tall kauri tree safely and in the desired direction, took skill and experience on the part of the bushmen. A wedge-shaped cut, known as a scarf, was chopped by the axemen on the side the tree was to fall. Side scarves facilitated the freedom of the saw’s movement, which was powered by one man at either end. Iron wedges were driven in behind the saw to arrest jamming. To encourage the tree to fall, the sawing would often have to continue until it reached the scarf. With a deafening crash the massive trees would tumble, millennia of growth terminated in just a few seconds.

Once felled, bushmen cross-cut the trunk into manageable sizes. The crown was usually discarded and the remainder cut to length. This length varied according to the orders at the mill, determined by the eventual use for the timber, and could be up to 10 meters long. After cross cutting, the ends were rounded, or sniped, to allow for easier transportation.

The methods of transportation employed included the use of rolling roads, a line of logs that were carefully manoeuvred down an excavated roadway. Using handspikes and timber jacks, bushmen would guide up to 100 logs down a 4-5 meter wide levelled depression. By easing the bottom log a few meters downhill, the logs above would follow.

To move a log downhill, chutes were built into the hillside. They were either a muddy depression lubricated with water, or a more elaborate design involving three lines of logs laid end to end. One line formed the base and the other two the sides. Mutton fat and water lubricated the chute and also helped reduce the risk of smouldering fires from the friction generated heat.

A variation of the chute was called a skidded road, which was constructed over gently sloping ground. Logs were laid end to end with cross pieces known as skids. This arrangement allowed bullock teams to pull logs more easily over the saddles between watersheds.

The early loggers used bullock teams to move logs for subsequent transport to the booms. Over the rugged country, teams of bullocks were preferred to horses as they were able to feed on the undergrowth and harnessed a solid hauling power. Eight pairs were normally yoked together in tandem and directed by the driver with cracks of the whip. The bulls proved patient and reliable in the muddy conditions of a bush winter.

Where the terrain was so rugged and steep that the use of bullock teams was impossible, bushmen caused artificial known as drives. These were triggered by releasing water collected behind, usually after periods of heavy rain. As the dam was ‘tripped’, a surge of water flowed through the watershed, collecting logs on its way. Normally a series of dams were tripped in succession. The flood accumulated an increasing number of logs as it progressed to the holding booms in the lower reaches of the watershed. This method proved so effective that between the 1880s and 1920s over 100 dams were built in the Kauaeranga Valley.

Sites were selected where the stream banks were high and a large area behind could accommodate the dammed water. The surrounding bedrock needed to be solid to support the foundation beams. Local timber was pit-sawn on site for the construction. It took a team of bushmen several months to complete a dam.

The Tarawaere Dam was a flume dam, built in 1920 by Jim Angel. When full, it was 24 metres wide at the waterline and 8 metres high. Planks were placed upright in the centre of the gate opening and attached to the main stringer (horizontal beam) by cables. They were replaced after each emptying of the dam.

The nearby Waterfalls Dam exhibited a different design and was known as a swinging rafter dam. The gate had a loosely attached, free-swinging rafter that pivoted above the centre of the gate opening. This type of dam had a limited life expectancy and was used in small creeks. Logs were not generally passed through the gate.

On 18th November 1873 over 2000 logs were driven to the booms in one flood. The chains spanning the lower reaches of the Kauaeranga River split under the immense pressure and the haul of logs washed out to sea. Although recovery of the logs strewn about the Firth of Thames was aided by boatmen, a similar occurrence befell the same booms nine years later.

The bushcamps housing the busmen were rudimentary affairs. They were by nature temporary and became redundant when the felling of a particular kauri block was complete. Using in situ material for construction, most shanties were simply thrown together using kauri pailings nailed to saplings. Nikau fronds were woven together as thatching. Dancing Camp in the upper reaches of the Kauaeranga was a typical camp with a main shanty serving as the cookhouse, dining room and dormitory. Later camps had separate cookhouses and bunk rooms.

In the 1880s, early attempts to log the aptly-named Billygoat Basin, east of the main Kauaeranga River, proved largely unsuccessful. When the kauri loggers attempted to transport the timber to the valley floor, logs falling over the 180-metre-high Billygoat Falls shattered, 90% of them disintegrating to splinters.

Sam Webb, the contractor, overcame this problem by constructing a wooden tramline to circumvent the falls. Logs taken from a holding dam above the falls via a wooden tramline were slid down a log chute which stopped short of the valley floor. For the remaining distance logs were slid down an earth chute. This method also proved too wasteful, the massive trunks splintering to unmillable logs on reaching the valley floor.

When a sacked bushman set fire to the surrounding forest in 1888, logging was abandoned. By the late 1880s, the industry was also slumping and in 1888 a Melbourne consortium bought the struggling mills and formed the Kauri Timber Company.

It was not until 1921-6 when the Billygoat Tramline was constructed, that logs were transported safely. A steam hauler lowered two trucks carrying the logs from the basin to Billygoat Landing. Brakemen rode on the rear of the truck, a job not without an element of danger and thrill, especially when the braking mechanisms tired and the trucks were witnessed hurtling down the tracks at breakneck speed, bushmen clinging to the runaway trucks for an involuntary white knuckle ride. The tramline was 1160 meters long, with a vertical drop of 290 meters. Its steepest gradient was 1:2.7. After unloading at Billygoat Landing, logs were pulled by steam hauler to the Kauaeranga Tramline railhead.

During the 1900s, steam haulers were often used to winch logs out of inaccessible valleys. Fuelled by tea-tree or kauri off-cuts, the stationary engine drove a revolving drum that wound the heavy steel cable. Bullocks or horses could also be used to pull a horizontal arm attached to a revolving barrel. This device, known as a capstan or whim, was powered by the animals walking around it winding in the rope and the log it was tied to.

The final period of logging extracted all the remaining kauri from the valley, work mainly concentrating around the headwaters of the Kauaeranga Gorge. By this time the valley floor was being farmed and farmers were becoming disgruntled after drives, as fences and other farm infrastructure were being damaged.

The Kauri Timber Company ingeniously devised a system, logs being transported in drives to booms erected across the main river near the Whangaiterenga Stream, upstream from farming operations. They were then loaded onto trucks, which rolled along the Kauaeranga Tramline. Its construction commenced in 1913 around Hoffmans Pool, and after a period of suspension during the First World War, was finished in 1920. Logs completed the journey to Thames, where they were unloaded into tidal water, tied into herringbone rafts and towed to Auckland for milling.

By the time logging ceased in 1928 the once magnificent kauri forests had been annihilated.

Details

Feature Value Info

Organisation

DOC Coromandel

Central government organisation

Location

North IslandCoromandelThames

Categories

  • Activity__walking_and_trekkingWalking
  • Free

Directions

To Coordinates

Coordinates

-37.0659309846192

175.667885446548

Latitude
-37.0659309846192
Longitude
175.667885446548

Nearby

Reviews

    • A pretty hard track but worth it.
    • Fantastic walk.
    • Not too challenging.
    • Beautiful walk and landscape.
    • A really nice return walk (but loop option).
    Rating Count Percentage
    10/10 19
    25%
    9/10 25
    32%
    8/10 21
    27%
    7/10 10
    13%
    6/10 2
    3%
    5/10 0
    0%
    4/10 0
    0%
    3/10 0
    0%
    2/10 0
    0%
    1/10 0
    0%
  • 5.0/5

    This walk is a beauty.

    One of the best day trip walks in the north island for sure. Follow the trails of the old Kauri loggers up through great country to the plateau which reveals fantastic outlooks, even before you climb the Pinnacles. The kids loved the challenge of the steps along the final push to the summit. We enjoyed a quick dip in a serene rock pool on our way down. It's pretty busy, but we didn't find it too much and it's for good reason.

    Reviewed over 4 years ago

  • 3.5/5

    Great hike up to the hut (and the summit!!).

    If you’re just moderately fit, take your time and stay in the hut. Making it up and down in one day is possible but a challange if you’re not a sportive person.

    Track is easy to find with a lot of steep “stairs” and can be very slippery after rain. So don’t attempt in rainy weather.

    Reviewed about 6 years ago

  • 3.5/5

    Lovely walk up to the top of the Pinnacles.

    Well signposted and paths are in good condition.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.5/5

    We saw on a friends bucket list to do the Pinnacles Walk.

    We did it (it is more a climb than a walk) and had a wonderful but very tiring experience. Well recommend (if you are at least half fit).

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.0/5

    The walk itself is a bushwalk without much views, but the view from the summit was spectacular, you can stay in a hut near the summit for $15 per night and be able to see the sunset/sunrise!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.0/5

    We walked the Pinnacles Track in the Coromandel Forest Park.

    We were as good as alone the whole track which was nice and the path changed often and you always had to pay attention, so it did not get boring, but the view from the top was not that nice.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.5/5

    Nice view, well maintained track, nothing to complain about.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 5.0/5

    Great walk, great people there.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

  • 4.5/5

    Good indications (signs), a lot of toilets on the track/different landscapes on the walk.

    Nothing.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

  • 3.5/5

    Really nice one day trek, in the middle we came out of the bush and the trek changed to an alpine one, the end was with lots of stairs and ladders (a nice change), the view from the Summit is not that

    great.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

  • 3.0/5

    Hard walk and not a lot to see on the way to the top.

    The end to get there is very hard, you have got to climb some parts. The view is nice but we have seen better in New Zealand.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2016

  • 3.0/5

    This walk has been very nice in length.

    It is a great exercise for the exhausting Tongariro Crossing. The hut was very clean and I would recommend climbing the top of the mountain for sunset.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in January 2016

  • 5.0/5

    This walk is a beauty.

    One of the best day trip walks in the north island for sure. Follow the trails of the old Kauri loggers up through great country to the plateau which reveals fantastic outlooks, even before you climb the Pinnacles. The kids loved the challenge of the steps along the final push to the summit. We enjoyed a quick dip in a serene rock pool on our way down. It's pretty busy, but we didn't find it too much and it's for good reason.

    Reviewed over 4 years ago

  • 3.5/5

    Great hike up to the hut (and the summit!!).

    If you’re just moderately fit, take your time and stay in the hut. Making it up and down in one day is possible but a challange if you’re not a sportive person.

    Track is easy to find with a lot of steep “stairs” and can be very slippery after rain. So don’t attempt in rainy weather.

    Reviewed about 6 years ago

  • 3.5/5

    Lovely walk up to the top of the Pinnacles.

    Well signposted and paths are in good condition.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.5/5

    We saw on a friends bucket list to do the Pinnacles Walk.

    We did it (it is more a climb than a walk) and had a wonderful but very tiring experience. Well recommend (if you are at least half fit).

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.0/5

    We walked the Pinnacles Track in the Coromandel Forest Park.

    We were as good as alone the whole track which was nice and the path changed often and you always had to pay attention, so it did not get boring, but the view from the top was not that nice.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.5/5

    Nice view, well maintained track, nothing to complain about.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.0/5

    The walk itself is a bushwalk without much views, but the view from the summit was spectacular, you can stay in a hut near the summit for $15 per night and be able to see the sunset/sunrise!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

  • 4.5/5

    Good indications (signs), a lot of toilets on the track/different landscapes on the walk.

    Nothing.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

  • 3.5/5

    Really nice one day trek, in the middle we came out of the bush and the trek changed to an alpine one, the end was with lots of stairs and ladders (a nice change), the view from the Summit is not that

    great.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

  • 5.0/5

    Great walk, great people there.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

  • 5.0/5

    Beautiful nature!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

  • 4.0/5

    The way up is very beautiful, not too many views but walking along natural stone steps, crossing little rivers and being directly covered in rainforest is great.

    If walking the track, definitely go up all the way to the Pinnacles, the climb at the end is rather fun - especially for our little baby.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

  • 4.0/5

    Did a one day walk from the carpark up to the Pinnacles and back.

    Wet and slippery but stunning views from the top. Did not stay in the hut but it looks beautiful.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

  • 5.0/5

    Steep but stunning track up to the DOC hut, views from the top are absolutely fantastic - go on a clear day!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 5.0/5

    Beautiful walk and landscape.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.0/5

    We did a two day trip.

    We could have also done it in one day (7 hours of walking in total), but wanted to enjoy the view at the very top for a while.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.0/5

    We did a two day trip.

    The pain and struggle getting up there was totally worth the view.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.5/5

    A beautiful hike through a lush forest, then to the top of the Pinnacles.

    You can stay in the hut (I did) and it is incredible. Beds, showers, toilets, kitchen, heater. It was a great experience.

    Reviewed almost 8 years ago

  • 4.0/5

    Cloudy but a great walk.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.0/5

    Not too challenging.

    First experience to actually climb a mountain for me. Awesome feeling. Going back the same route is a bit exhausting.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.5/5

    The hike up to the hut is rather covered and consists of a lot of stairs.

    I definitely recommend staying at the hut as the true treasure of this hike is 45 minutes higher at the top of the Peninsula where we were lucky to enjoy the sunset and sunrise, both spectacular with 360 degree views.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.0/5

    Views, views, views!

    The hike up is pretty easy, the hike down is a knee killer!! Worth it though!

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in March 2016

  • 4.0/5

    Nice walk if the weather is good and you get to see a lot.

    But if it is too cloudy, I would not go there since the hike is quite difficult. It is well maintained.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in January 2016

    CANADA
    M J's avatar

    M J

  • 4.5/5

    Nice but tiring walk, amazing view from the top.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in January 2016

  • 4.0/5

    Nice walk through amazing old mountains, also was where the Lord of the Rings.

    A very nice view.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in January 2016

  • 4.0/5

    Scenic walk up the mountain, especially the part up to the Pinnacle Summit was pretty good.

    We enjoyed it!

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in January 2016

  • 3.0/5

    Hard walk and not a lot to see on the way to the top.

    The end to get there is very hard, you have got to climb some parts. The view is nice but we have seen better in New Zealand.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2016

  • 4.5/5

    One day hike (8 hours) to the top of the Pinnacles and return.

    We did it in two days and slept at a $5 campground for tents. If you do so: set up at 5am to walk to the top and enjoy the sunrise and an amazing 360 degree view.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2016

  • 3.5/5

    Fantastic walk.

    Not difficult but not as easy as it said it was! Stayed overnight at the DOC hut which was good but too cold! That is why I have marked it down.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2016

  • 4.0/5

    A really nice return walk (but loop option).

    Nice and well prepared track at the top and a gorgeous view! Just a really long gravel road to get there.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2016