1. Walks near the campsite.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, the Coromandel forest area was a major Kauri logging area. There are many relics of those days in the Kauaeranga Valley. The two photos below (taken in 1989) show the remnants of the Tarawaere dam (left) and the Waterfalls dam (right), two of the many driving dams in the area. Kauri logs were dragged into the river bed below the dam. The dam was filled (often over several months to build a huge body of water), and then "tripped", releasing all the water in one huge torrent that drove the logs to the coast. The two dams shown are both less than an hour's walk from the road near the campsite.

2. The Pinnacles

The track to the Pinnacles follows up the Kauaeranga River for about half an hour, before turning to follow Webb Creek. It then climbs steeply for about 1000' to the ridge top. The photo on the right shows Mike Dineen on one of the several wire bridges that cross streams and rivers en route. You don't have to use these unless the streams are in flood -- you can usually just wade across instead. Some people find the wire bridges more fun, however!
		Shortly after reaching the top of Webb Creek you come to an area called Hydro Camp, which was originally cleared for use as a campsite by workmen laying the power lines across to the East coast. From there it is about an hour of gently undulating ridge-top walking to the new Pinnacles "Hut", shown here.

 

If you're feeling tired at this point, you can relax at the Pinnacles Hut for a couple of hours while the others climb the nearby rocky peak called "The Pinnacles". The photo on the right shows Father and Daughter proudly standing on the top. The climb is fairly straightforward, with aluminium ladders bolted to the rocks in a couple of the more difficult spots. However, the track is muddy at just about any time of the year, and can be a bit slippery in a couple of places if there has been recent rain.

Whether or not you go to the top of the Pinnacles, you must take in the Dancing Camp Dam, just below the Pinnacles Hut. I can't find any recent photos of it, but the one on the left shows you what it looked like around 1969! Since then it has fallen down, but has been partially rebuilt so that it looks similar, only a lot more colourful!

 

3. Kauaeranga Gorge

This trip is about the same length as the Pinnacles Trip, or perhaps slightly longer. However, it is considerably more arduous, since it involves a lot of clambering over rocks, edging around cliffs and a bit of swimming. It is not a track -- simply a route following up the Kauaeranga River all the way to the old pack track, where the hydro line crosses. You then leave the river. The track climbs steadily to the ridge top, around the back of Pinnacles Hut, and rejoins the Pinnacles Track. The photos below were taken on a recent trip organized by David Gauld in Mathematics.