North Island Gems – Hiking to Crosbies Hut & The Pinnacles, Coromandel
By Kim Hobson
We’d been living in a short term rental over winter, in the sleepy beachside town of Wharekaho on the Coromandel.
A couple of months of what felt like non-stop rain at the start of winter had us feeling a little restless, so as soon as the sun saw fit to shine again we decided to knock off a couple of hikes in our new local – Coromandel Forest Park.
The first antidote to our restless leg syndrome would be the much loved Pinnacles Track, a hike we’d done years before.
We’d been craving a bit of solitude, and I still had memories of the noisy night the last time we were at the hectic Pinnacles Hut, so we opted for the campsite instead.
We also had a new Bushbuck tent that we’d only used once since we’d bought it in Nelson, and we were keen to have another night in it!
It was a sunny morning as we pulled up in the carpark to set out on the Kauaeranga Kauri Track. We passed a few people walking back to the carpark, plus one guy on a day mission to the Pinnacles Summit.
Kauaeranga Kauri Track to Dancing Camp Campsite
The Kauaeranga Kauri Track passes through lush native bush, across swing bridges and small streams, and up steep rocky sections into the ranges.
It’s a fun, but fairly steep track, and because we hadn’t been tramping in a long time our legs were definitely feeling the burn.
The track finally reaches a saddle and follows a more open ridge with great views of the Pinnacles and one branch of the Tairua River.
From here it wasn’t far to Dancing Camp Campsite, nestled in the bush just beyond the hut. It’s a picturesque little campsite near the historic kauri dam, with a lively stream bubbling away below.
We set up camp and had ourselves a well earned lie-down before hiking up to the Pinnacles summit for sunset.
Dancing Camp Campsite to the Pinnacles Summit
The track to the Pinnacles takes about 40 minutes from the hut and is 1km in distance. It’s extremely steep in places, with ladder rungs jutting out of the rocks to help trampers get past gnarly vertical sections.
Having done the Pinnacles track before, we knew what we were in for. We didn’t find it too challenging or scary, especially compared to some of the South Island hikes we’d done!
Our years spent tramping in the South Island had definitely hardened us! It’s always interesting doing a hike the second time around, with a bit more experience and physical ability.
Sunset from the Pinnacles Summit
We made it to the top and found ourselves a little corner to watch the sunset. Soon enough the place was crammed with people.
The Pinnacles Hut is potentially the North Island’s most popular hut and overnight hike, often booking out months in advance. Needless to say, weekends at the Pinnacles can get pretty busy.
We’re lucky that we have the flexibility in our lifestyle to be able to do things like overnight tramps during the work week, when most other people are at work or school. One of the reasons I’d booked the Pinnacles on a weekday was to avoid crowds.
Thinking we’d be in the clear for a relatively crowd-free trip in the middle of the week, we were surprised to see the summit dotted with groups of teenagers. There happened to be a couple of school groups staying at the hut for their school camp. Lucky us!
While we were a bit taken aback by the crowds up at the summit, it’s always cool to see the younger generations enthusiastic about the great outdoors. They were loving it!
GoPros and phones were out as the kids snapped photos and videos of the landscape – there might have even been a few aspiring photographers in the group!
The sun soon set behind the mountains, bathing the landscape in warm hues. Layers of mountain ranges faded into the soft golden haze as the last light of day filtered through the valleys.
We think sunsets are always best viewed from a high vantage point like the Pinnacles, where you can watch the landscape transform as the light changes.
A Peaceful but Cold Night Camping
Darkness was quickly encroaching, so we headed back down the track to our campsite. It was a cold night in our little tent, but we were happy that we’d chosen to sacrifice the warmth and comfort of the hut for a chilly night in the bush.
Camping gets you closer to nature, to where we came from and where we belong. That night we went to sleep to the sound of the river while moreporks hooted in the trees.
Much more enjoyable than the sounds of other people snoring and rustling in their sleeping bags all night long!
Back up to the Pinnacles Summit for the Most Magical Sunrise!
The next day an early morning start had us out of the tent in the predawn darkness, walking the track to the Pinnacles summit once more, this time under a glittering blanket of stars.
We climbed up the ladders for a second time, the rungs cold on our hands in the early morning frost. We made it to the summit with 45 minutes to spare before sunrise and Jeremy made us a nice hot tea on the Jetboil.
Sipping away at our tea, we enjoyed having the place all to ourselves for a little while. All was silent and still apart from a lone kaka soaring over the ranges.
Soon enough, we saw a tiny trail of head torches shining on the track below as the school groups made their way to join us at the summit for sunrise.
They scurried up like a trail of ants, far too energetic for such ungodly hours in the morning. What kind of teenagers were these anyway? Teenagers aren’t supposed to surface until at least 11am right? The younger generations are a mysterious cohort.
Fortunately we’d made it to the summit early to secure a good spot – it’s such a small, precipitous space up there, it can be difficult manoeuvering around when there are heaps of people.
The sun finally rose over the peninsula, illuminating the sea on the Coromandel’s east coast. Fiery light funnelled through the valley below us, bringing the shadowy landscape to life.
It was an unbelievably magical sunrise, even better than sunset the night before. Shortly after sunrise, the school groups headed back down to the hut. We hung around a little while longer, enjoying the serenity and the views.
Back down at the tent, the sun was beginning to filter through the trees. We cooked some oats and brewed some coffee before packing up and hiking back out to the carpark.
Despite the unexpected crowds, we’d thoroughly enjoyed our second visit to the Pinnacles. It’s stunning country up there, and the views at sunrise are second to none. It’s a fun, variable hike – not too difficult but still a welcome challenge for our lethargic winter legs.
Preparing to Hike to Crosbies Hut - So Many Track Options!
We had another tramp in mind for our next Coromandel Ranges adventure – the beautifully designed Crosbies Hut. A couple of weeks later, once our bodies were feeling well rested again, we set off up the Tapu-Coroglen Road to begin the tramp.
There is an almost overwhelming amount of options for tracks to Crosbies Hut. After a bit of research we decided to go with the Tapu-Coroglen Summit track as it was closest to home, and it claimed to have the least elevation gain (we were feeling lazy again).
The information on the DoC website also promised zero stream crossings, which we thought was a wise choice after all the rain we’d been having.
The parking situation at the Tapu-Coroglen trailhead is not ideal, but Jeremy’s mum had offered to drop us off and pick us up again which simplified logistics a lot.
Hiking the Tapu-Coroglen Track to Crosbies Hut
The track follows an undulating ridge top through the bush, and it took us about 3 and a half hours to reach the hut. We were grateful for the shelter of the bush as it rained on and off most of the way.
It’s a nice track, not too well graded which makes it a bit more of a challenge, but also not too steep. About half an hour away from the hut is a plaque with some information on the history of Crosbies Settlement.
The Sinister History of Crosbies Settlement
Crosbies Settlement was an 1880s farm settlement that was farmed for over 50 years then abandoned. Conditions were harsh up there, and farming was a challenge. The only access was by foot or horseback, and the settlement struggled to survive.
In 1970 Coromandel Forest Park was established. Crosbies Settlement became part of the park and the woolshed was converted into a trampers’ hut.
The hut blew down in the 1980s and the current Crosbies Hut was built by DoC in 2010. This was all very interesting information on the area, but the next bit of history was more than a little disturbing.
In 1989 a Swedish couple went missing while tramping in the area. The Crosbies Settlement area was thoroughly searched but only one body was ever found, about 70km away.
David Tamihere was charged with their murder, but maintained his innocence. There was a lot of controversy around the case and the verdict, and it still remains somewhat of an unsolved mystery to this day.
After reading all this we were a bit creeped out (note to self – only ever read historical information in the middle of the bush AFTER staying the night in a hut), but we carried on to the hut, which was empty when we arrived.
Overnight at Crosbies Hut
Crosbies Hut is a modern looking hut in an elevated clearing with views out over the ranges towards the East Coast in one direction, and over towards Thames in the other direction.
We made ourselves at home in the cozy 10 bunk hut, spending the rest of the afternoon reading and drinking tea.
The hut has a coal fire, which we found quite difficult to get going. All the kindling was damp and we had no fire starters, so our fire for the night was pretty dismal.
Reading the intentions book, it seemed that a lot of other people had the same issue with the fire. Fortunately it’s a warm, dry hut anyway, and luckily we weren’t on the South Island!
We ended up having the hut all to ourselves that night, which is always a bonus, but after reading about the strange case of the missing Swedish couple, we were both kind of hoping a few more people would turn up.
Remote huts always feel safer shared with other trampers. Maybe we’d watched a few too many horror films, but we figured it might not be a terrible idea to bring the axe inside the hut that night… You never know when a crazed axe-murderer might rock up!
Nevertheless it was an uneventful night in the hut, albeit a bit windy and stormy. We woke with all limbs still attached, emerging sleepily from the hut with the camera to capture another magical Coromandel sunrise.
An Spectacular Sunrise and a Cruisy Morning
Ethereal light poured through the mountain ranges, promising a clear day ahead. A brisk wind whipped across the landscape, and birds began their morning choir as the sun slowly climbed higher over the horizon.
We went back to the warmth of the hut to enjoy a slow-paced morning, sipping coffee and reading in the early morning sunshine.
At around 10am we were all packed and ready to go. We strapped our muddy gaiters on and hoisted our packs onto our backs to walk the same route back out.
It’s definitely more of a tramping track -rocky and rooty, and muddy in some sections – but it was an easy enough tramp back to the carpark.
Thrilled at having ticked off another hut on the bucket-list, we chatted animatedly and were back at the car in no time.
2 Successful Missions!
Exploring Coromandel Forest Park during the winter months was definitely worth it – a nice change from the South Island hikes we’d been used to.
It was great to reacquaint ourselves with the Pinnacles again, and to do a new tramp to Crosbies Hut – we would do both trips again in a heartbeat, despite rowdy teenage students and creepy murder-mysteries!
Trip Details
Track & Hut Info:
Kauaeranga Kauri Trail via Webb Creek Track:
Track time – 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr one way
Track level – Intermediate: Great Walk/easier tramping track
Distance – 6km
Location – track begins at road end 9km from Kauaeranga Visitor Centre, which is 13km from the start of Kauaeranga Valley Road (Thames)
Pinnacles Hut – serviced 80 bunk hut, bookings required
Fees – $25 per night (adult)
Dancing Camp Campsite – 4 non powered tent sites, bookings required
Fees – $25 per night per adult (hut), $10 per night per adult (campsite)
Tapu-Coroglen Road to Crosbies Hut:
Track time – 4 hrs
Track level – Intermediate: Great Walk/easier tramping track
Distance – 9.2km
Location – Summit of Tapu-Coroglen Rd, Coromandel – limited parking.
There are 7 different tracks to Crosbies Hut, see DoC website for more info:
Crosbies Hut – serviced 10 bunk backcountry hut, bookings required
Fees – $15 per night per adult
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