Kauaeranga Valley

Today we started our final multiday trek in New Zealand. We were doing a 1 night hut trip up to the Pinnacles in the Coromandel region along the Kauaeranga Valley. Our route was via Webb Creek and return via the Billy Goat Track. After a 40 minute drive along a bumpy gravel road we arrived at the trail head and began our ascent. The trail is a well-defined track that was developed in the 1900s for packhorses transporting natural resources through lush forest. At a leisurely pace we ascended to 800m in 3 hours. The trail slowly wound its way upward. It was a lovely afternoon with clear blue skies and perfect hiking temperatures. When we arrived at the hut we dropped off our gear and continued on for another 40 minutes up the actual Pinnacles. This part of the climb was actually really fun with some ladders and scrabbling. We arrived at the top and had the peak to ourselves for an hour as we took in the incredible views and enjoyed a beer and reminisced about our experience in New Zealand. Slowly other hiker joined us at the top to catch the sunset. We opted to head back down before the sunset as it was getting cool and we didn’t bring headlamps.

The hut at The Pinnacles was huge. It held 80 people and you have to book in advance as it regularly fills up. We lucked out and there were less than 20 people. We enjoyed a night of card games and chatting with some American girls. It was a lot of fun. These multiday treks have definitely been the most social part of our trip.Read more