The Pinnacles and Kauaeranga Valley

The Kauaeranga Valley runs inland from Thames into the forested spine of the Coromandel, and the track up to the Pinnacles follows the route kauri loggers used more than a century ago. Much of the climb is on stonework they built for packhorses, steps and causeways now half covered in moss, crossing Webb Creek on swing bridges. At the top of the climb sits a large hut on a saddle, and beyond it a final scramble on ladders and steel rungs bolted into rock leads to the Pinnacles themselves, a knuckle of weathered volcanic stone. From the summit the peninsula narrows below you and, on a clear day, water shows on both sides of it.

What you actually see

• The packhorse stonework - stone steps and causeways built for the kauri logging trade.
• Webb Creek - swing bridges and stream crossings on the lower half of the climb.
• The ladders to the summit - the final rungs and steel ladders up the rock knuckle.
• The two-coast view - the peninsula narrowing below, with water on either side in clear weather.

When to go

The track is walkable year round, but winter mornings can put ice on the exposed rungs and the summit is often in cloud. Summer weekends and holidays fill both the hut and the car park. Most walkers go up in the afternoon, stay the night and climb to the Pinnacles at first light; a return day walk is long but possible with an early start.

Honest expectations

This is a real climb rather than a stroll: several hours up on uneven stone, and the last section involves ladders that people with a fear of heights do not enjoy. The hut must be booked and sells out months ahead in summer. The valley road ends in a car park that overflows on fine weekends, and the view vanishes into cloud more often than the photos suggest.

Nearby

Thames sits at the mouth of the valley, and the east coast beaches are an hour over the range.