Starting from the end of Kauaeranga Valley Road in Southern Coromandel, the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail commences a steep and relentless climb on an original packhorse route alongside the Webb Creek, passing by Hydro Camp, and continues on the Pinnacles Track to Pinnacles Hut and Dancing Camp.

With endless roots smothering the track and large rough steps cut into solid rock, the DOC’s generous time estimate for the 6.4-km ascent to Pinnacles Hut is 2.5-3 hours. A further steep 180-metre elevation climb brings you to the Pinnacles summit at 759m.

If you’re an experienced hiker, you’ll probably make the hut in under 2 hours and the summit in 2.5. It’s still a moderately demanding walk through the bush with only rare glimpses of the surrounding landscape until the track gains an open ridge above the bush line close to Pinnacles Hut.

The last stretch, from the hut to the summit, is even more adventurous but also the most beautiful trail section with sweeping views from coast to coast and in-between the jagged skyline of the pinnacles covered in a thick blanket of greenery.

People with a fear of heights might feel uncomfortable clambering up the narrow ladders and navigating the metal hooks, which are bolted into massive slabs of stone. But do give it a try and see how far you’re comfortable walking before sunset approaches and the fading light lathers the bare rock in a reddish, hazy glow and sets the bush alight with a fiery blaze.

There are plenty of lovely spots with a view before you arrive at the wooden lookout on top. If you prefer solitude (to at least two dozen vociferous students on an outdoor education camp jostling about for space on a small wooden platform), you’re also better off picking a quiet place somewhere along the track.s

The grandeur of this wonderfully lush and mountainous landscape, fringed by the ocean in the distance, is magnificent, yet I looked in vain for needle-thin earth pillars.

I had expected pinnacles of the hoodoo kind, similar to the fragile spires of the Putangiura Pinnacles at the southernmost point of the North Island. But the craggy rock formations of the Coromandel Ranges appear bulkier instead. They are massive peaks that form an impressive silhouette, like a serrated blade against the night sky.

Return by the same track or make this trail into a loop by taking the Billygoat Track. Note that the latter is steeper and may be poorly maintained, as some online reviews claim. If you’re descending in the dark, it might be safer to opt for the Webb Creek Track again.