Day 14 - Adventure Pinnacle Walk

27.11.16

At 7.30 am the alarm clock wakes us up and urges us to get up. But we don't feel like it and decide to sleep a bit longer today :-) After getting up and having breakfast, we are seized by the hiking fever. At the beginning of our trip, we received a hot tip from *E. W. from E. (*Name and location of the publisher known) and today we want to implement it. Therefore, we drive to Thames and from there to the Kauaeranga Valley. After a short briefing at the Visitor Center, we start our hike to the Pinnacles, which supposedly takes 4 hours (one way). On our way, we cross rivers on suspension bridges, climb countless stairs, and walk over rocks and stones. The vegetation is extremely diverse: coniferous and deciduous trees, palms, shrubs, ferns, grasses, desert stones, etc.

After 1 hour and 45 minutes, we reach the Pinnacle Hut, which is 50 minutes away from the summit. Despite our fast progress, we are not so happy because the sky is getting more and more cloudy. But somehow, we can't turn around so close to the destination. So we continue to the summit. The wind gets stronger and it starts to drizzle. On the summit platform, it is everything but cozy.

Therefore, we don't stay long and start the descent right away. We reach the hut again after 45 minutes and are glad to be able to stay in the sheltered area for a few minutes. Because we are already quite wet and the rain and wind have become quite strong by now. But after the around 30-minute break, the weather improves again and we even see a few rays of sunshine. So we set off for Jucy again. After about 5 hours and tired legs, we are back.

After dinner, we drive back to Waiomu to stay there for the night. Before that, we take a cold and very windy shower - brrrrrrrrrr! But great after today's hiking adventure. And another day in the land of the Kiwis comes to an end, this time without constellations in the sky.