The Pinnacles

   So, I love my hiking boots. I moaned a lot about having to get them in the first place, but they are basically the best thing ever. Context:
    Twelve of us went on an overnight backpacking jaunt this weekend up to a lovely spot called "The Pinnacles" on Coromandel Peninsula (which is right across the bay from EcoQuest). It's a three/four hour hike up to the top, where there is a REALLY snazzy backpacker hut and some tent-pitch spots, and then another half hour or so up to the peak. We planned to hike up to the hut on Saturday, pitch camp (who needs a roof and bunks when you have tents and sleeping bags), and climb up to the top for sunrise on Sunday.
     The hike up was lovely... lots of treeferns, crazy jungle scenery, picturesque springs along the path, rain... wait, what was that last thing? Oh yeah, Pinnacles happens to be the second wettest spot in New Zealand. So it started drizzling as soon as we started up the track, and started pouring as soon as we went to set up camp, and continued all night long and well into the morning. We cooked dinner in the hut, where they had gas stoves and solar lighting, and talked with a bunch of New Zealand hikers. They looked at us like we were absolutely nuts as we started packing up to head back down to our tents.
   The night really wasn't that bad... the tent I was in did a really good job keeping out the water out. The rain was just super loud. Anyway, we got up at 5 anyway to head up to the Pinnacle... didn't end up leaving until 6, but the semi-dawn was very useful, since the ascent involved vertical ladders, steel pegs driven into sheer stone slabs, and some pretty fun scrambles. I loved it.  The views stayed a little mysterious behind the clouds, but huge stone pillars and dramatic cliffs would loom through the mist when the wind changed.
   Anyway, back to my boots: the trail down was a stream. Literally. The entire mountainside just poured water out of every possible nook and cranny. So those waterfalls that were so pretty the day before were even more amazing. And my feet stayed dry, since it was generally pretty shallow and/or I could avoid deep parts. So yeah, hiking boots + New Zealand = good idea.

     On an unrelated note, we are going Opoutere (pronounced Ah-po-tear-ee) on tuesday for a week to study the Wharekawa Estuary and participate in a community driven shell-fish monitoring program. We'll be back on Friday, and then have a week back here before we leave for the South Island for a month-ish. I wont take my computer when we travel, so I probably wont post anything during the trips... you'll just have to wait to hear about it. and pictures... I'm working on that. I know that everyone is on the edge of their seats in anticipation. right.

smiles!