Kauaeranga Kauri Trail - The Pinnacles
- cazphillips2
- Nov 12
- 5 min read
The Pinnacles, also known as the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail, is located near Thames in the Coromandel.
As a hike it had been on our “to do” list for years, but I’d always felt it was terribly daunting.
Honestly, I should've tackled it back when my legs worked faster than my excuses and my idea of a workout was more than just lifting a wine glass. Maybe during that fleeting moment I called my "running era” but no, I was too excited to go back to my safe place, on the couch.
So fast forward another 10 years and at least an extra 10 kilos, and I boldly declared to a friend that I had decided I needed a swift, but firm, kick up the backside and something to work towards. A testing goal, a challenge that would get me off my arse and motivated. And that something was The Pinnacles. It’s big enough that you have to take it seriously, no rocking up in your Crocs and socks expecting applause and accolades. I needed to be mildly terrified of it in order to commit. And I was delighted to discover that my dear, equally deranged, friend, was all in too, proving that madness loves company.
It was on.
We had around 3 months to get match fit.
Now it’s worth mentioning at this point that I hate hills. Walking on the flat, even quite swiftly; love it. Hills that involve exertion, sweat, and breathlessness; yeah, not so keen. So, whilst I thought I was pretty active with a good base fitness, turns out once hill training showed up the whole idea started looking like an extreme sport designed to test my ability to whine creatively.
I have a high resting heart rate so when I add a hill in its off the charts. We’re talking 180+ bpm. What I found as the weeks clicked past, wasn’t particularly an improvement in heartbeat but I miraculously seemed to get stronger, which meant I could rely more on my legs with marginally less pressure on my heart and lungs. I also have scoliosis and a degenerative spinal disc condition and as my legs got stronger I found the issues with my back decreased.
Within 4-6 weeks I was doing 3-4 flat, fast 8km dog walks a week and 3 hills a week. And boy did it pay off on the day.
We rented an Air BnB situated about 10kms from the start of the trail which was perfect. We went down the night before so we could do an early start the following day. We had chosen to go up and down in the same day. There is the option of staying in the hut near the summit. But you need to take all your gear up with you, and we are more prosecco and spa pool than dormitories and long drop toilets.
We set off about 7am and the weather was near perfect. Showers were forecast later in the day but for the most part of the initial climb it was a glorious day. Six minutes in and we were across the first suspension bridge.
“Six minutes, people, six minutes!” I shouted, sounding far too cheerful for someone about to hike for over 6 hours and climb an elevation of 759 meters. Everyone seemed in suspiciously high spirits as we bounced down the trail at a pace better suited for people who actually hike. It felt like there were clear “sections” of the trail. Starting with rich, green bush walk, transitioning to the old mining tracks with uneven rock and stones. It’s a slow but consistent climb and concentration is required to watch your feet. Sturdy hiking boots are really a must. There’s a long section of deep stone steps that are quite tiring. Clearly constructed by a seven-foot giant with a stride the length of a small country. Not me with my compact and bijou legs. (See also; stumpy.)
We rested at the hydro camp and had a bit of morning tea. We were making pretty good time and happily continued on over a particularly slippery, rocky bit. We made it to the hut in about 2.5 hours which was ahead of schedule.
The hut was all locked up but has 2 dormitories and a large kitchen/dining area, showers and loos. It looked good enough if carrying your home on your back and sharing with strangers is your thing.
After some sustenance and a team check in, we established that we were all on board with pushing to the summit. We’d come this far so we all wanted to at the very least try. Adrenalin and denial were urging us on, cheering our delusions from the grandstand.
Suddenly the summit didn’t seem so far away. Until we spotted the stairs. There’s a lot of stairs. But we knew this. We had trained for this. Only to find the stairs were four times what we had trained. But with encouragement and dogged determination, not to mention numerous breathers, we conquered the stairs from hell. Next were the ladders. Our equally bonkers friends chose to leave their backpack and walking poles at the foot of the ladders (hidden) to enable them to better navigate the challenges. There are two ladders, and because they are pretty steep you make progress really quickly.
After the ladders was the bit I had been nervous of, the rungs. In the rocks. I have pathetic upper body strength, but it’s funny, the thing I had been dreading the most was actually really good. They were incredibly useful for pulling yourself up the rocks and with a lot of scrambling and what felt like ridiculous risk taking we all made it. Albeit the last bit on hands and knees. The view was spectacular but nothing could compete with our sense of achievement and pride. Four aging old farts of dubious fitness and youths spent more in pubs than Pilates had proved that they weren’t ready for the knackers yard just yet.
Going down is always a little harder as the adrenalin is wearing off and tiredness is kicking in, but I was still high on euphoria and enjoyed it. One of our group was struggling with sore knees on the way down which I had been warned about by someone I know who had already done this particular walk. Unfortunately there’s really nothing you can do but carry on.
I kept remarking that I didn’t recognise much of the scenery on the way back down, which perhaps goes to show that I was ascending purely on sheer grit and denial, in order to distract myself from my questionable decision making that had got us here in the first place.
Every suspension bridge we crossed I cheerily said “Six minutes people, six minutes” and eventually I was right.
And I still had the kick for a sprint finish against the Favourite Husband, as no one remembers who comes second, am I right?
Two days later and I’m still on a high, this felt like a great achievement. I created a challenge and I completed it. Now on to the next …
Top tips;
Train hills and stairs in advance
Take a minimum of 3l of water per person
Wear good, sturdy hiking boots as it can be muddy and slippery
Maintain a sense of adventure and above all else a sense of humour
Believe in yourself
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