gryphonvert
Putangirau Pinnacles, start
Overall, one of my favorite experiences in NZ. The Pinnacles are described as New Zealand's version of badlands. (They were also used as the filming location for the Paths of the Dead bits of "Return of the King".) To get up to them (I'm not actually sure what the elevation of them is, but it's just a bit of "up", not a huge climb), the route Stephen and I chose wasn't really a trail as such. It was just "walk up this rocky streambed until you get there".
Here we are at the start of the "trail", then. Should also note that this wide, rocky floodplain type of thing is pretty typical of rivers in New Zealand. We were, in fact, aware of the potential drawbacks of a hike up a floodplain in the rainy season, when it was actually raining when we started out.
Putangirau Pinnacles, start
Overall, one of my favorite experiences in NZ. The Pinnacles are described as New Zealand's version of badlands. (They were also used as the filming location for the Paths of the Dead bits of "Return of the King".) To get up to them (I'm not actually sure what the elevation of them is, but it's just a bit of "up", not a huge climb), the route Stephen and I chose wasn't really a trail as such. It was just "walk up this rocky streambed until you get there".
Here we are at the start of the "trail", then. Should also note that this wide, rocky floodplain type of thing is pretty typical of rivers in New Zealand. We were, in fact, aware of the potential drawbacks of a hike up a floodplain in the rainy season, when it was actually raining when we started out.