To be perfectly honest I was more than a little concerned with this tramp, after Kaitarakihi’s surprise cliff section and the very visible graggs of the Pinnacles I wasn’t sure what I’d actually have to traverse to bag this one.
But then again if the unknown stopped me from trying a track then I’d never leave the house!
In saying that I left at 08:30 to give me ample time to complete the bag. The first section along the river was easy and a pleasant walk, and the swing bridge was a good laugh as well, like walking on a waterbed. After that you got a little noticeboard telling you how the old kauri loggers carved steps into the stone for the donkeys, but it cleverly neglected to tell you how long the steps went on for! But a slow and steady approach is all you need and they will take care of themselves. There are a couple more bridges but not as fun as the swing bridge. After the stairs though it is still cobble stoney or rock covered underfoot and bendy ankles is a plus. You get some elevation gain after the stone step section, but nothing to write home about. Kept going right past the Hydro camp and a fairly gentle walk got me to the pinnacle’s hut.
Talking to one of the DOC rangers later they mentioned the was about 90 odd people up there on the Saturday night and when the wind and rain made its presence felt a few of the campers were granted some floor space to escape the horrible weather.
But the worst today brought was some cloud and a bit of wind so onwards to the top. From the hut you get gravelled walkway, leading to gravelled steps, leading to a couple of metal ladders leading to some metal hand/foot holds and then the viewing platform. It looks like a bit of a chore, but it got knocked off way quicker and easier than I imagined it would, in fact from the start of the tramp up until the top it took me just 2 hours and 15 mins. A cheeky scramble up some rock, but my bravery was checked in its tracks when a couple of sharp gusts came roaring through!
Eventually made my way back to the hut for some lunch and the ranger’s very friendly dog. Watching it hoover up crumbs from the ground where people dropped some of their lunch was hilarious. The hut by standard hut spec is truly palatial, but the best bit was the kauri growing out of and old tree trunk and then through the deck, awesome!
Anyway, after a good long rest and lunch done I made my way back to the car park. Stone steps aren’t that nice on the knees going back down!
All up 5 hrs.
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