Putangirua Pinnacles in Upper Hutt

Simply breathtaking! Unfortunately a large part of the track was impassable due to slips. Especially with younger kids it was therefore a bit of a challenge to reach the pinnacles.

Wonderful place to visit. A decent hike to get to the Pinnacles itself. But the recent rains have done some damage to the track. Some of the trach has been washed out and very muddy at places. I wouldnt recommend visiting here in the current situation.

The extreme badlands erosion of the Putangirua Pinnacles. These towering hoodoo (earth pillarsdate back hundreds of thousands of years, to when the Aorangi ranges were an island. Over time, sea levels receded & the landmass then eroded, some of it protected by caps of cemented rock. The result are these incredible formations, which should be on your Welly "must see" list!

Great place for a beautiful hike and one of the filming locations for LOTR. We took the ridge trail up and the streambed back down. The official website lists the stream bed trail as closed, but we were able to hike it fine and there were several others that were in the trail as well. Took about 3.5 hours including stops for photos, snacks, and lunch, probably would have been just under 3 hours without stopping. The Ridge trail is a continuous hike upwards so is moderately challenging though isn’t too long (about 1.5 hours to the top). The streambed is all gravel and rocks and requires crossing the stream a few times. Make sure to have good footwear, ideally waterproof hiking shoes with ankle support to make the stream crossings easier and for all the lose rock along the streambed. Overall, not difficult but requires some level of fitness. Could be a bit challenging if the water level was higher.

A must visit place. We took the bush way to the lookout and the same way back which took about 2 hours. Very good shoe is essential as there are gravels and can be slippery in wet weather conditions. Plenty of space for carpark👍

Great spot for an out of the ordinary hike. Follow the bush track up to get a view over the Pinnacles or go straight up the shingle and water tracks to get to the base (or do both - we did the bush track then cut down to the base). Need good shoes and at least two hours to enjoy the surrounds. Light can get a bit tricky for photos.

fossils, geology, danger (falling rocks)

Our family of 6 (Mum, Dad, 12, 11, 8 and 4 yr old kidstook the lower path to see the Pinnacles. It was a hard walk over stones, which we did not have the correct shoes, needed more like hiking boots. As a mum who is very unfit and of larger size it was a mission but we all made it up the steep climb. There is a path that goes into the bush which I would recommend instead of hiking up the stone river bed which is part of the way up. Amazing sight once at the top, but it felt like if you talked to loud they might fall over. Added pictures but I dont think it does the climb justice. Good luck!

Good hike and love the stone formation. Amazing!

Theres an easy but an hour hike before you reach the amazing view. The lookout point is another 45 minutes I think. The amazing view is worth it and a good workout but just need to plan your time according.

Must visit. Unique formations used in many movies and tv series. On the sign post take left which loops down back to the riverbed side anyway. Steep and many steps but worth the views. Give about 2 hours to return to car park. Also walk upto the base of the formations upon loop back. Good shoes is must as it is pebbly and Rocky terrain.

Have to walk 90 mins to get end / uphill and tiring

Beautiful rock formation. I would recommend this to everyone, Sited beside the Putangirua Stream with views of Cook Strait and a pebbly beach across the road. And after drive to the seal colony near Cape Palliser lighthouse.

Beautiful! Did the 4 hour loop track and it was stunning. challenging walk with beautiful sights, good for the whole family! Make sure you put the reserve in maps for when travelling to the pinnacles as the maps took us past the turnoff when we didnt put the reserve in.

Best to depart early morning, as the walk is exposed to the sun, and not much shade is on offer. Take plenty of water, and allow for plenty of time to explore as you get to the top of the walk. Spend the night at the campground as well, its a real weekend delight.

Good place but if you want a better view take a left on t trail towards inside the trees , clib is a bit tough keep enough water and take rest in between. But top , worth it.

Great place. Incredible must see.

A great 2 hr walk up a river bed with short climb into the Pinnacles. Better by far if viewed from below than the climb up to a viewing platform which was disappointing.

Amazing rock formation. Worth a hike and quite relaxing as well. I went for the streambed route. It was all rocks all the way and you have to cross some small streams in between. My advise is to bring a tramping pole, which helped me quite a lot since it gave me extra support on all of the rocks. Well worth a visit. Will return again for sure.

Really amazing scenery. Totally worth a visit. Its signposted as a 45 minute walk, but I reached the pinnacles along the riverbed track in only 20.

90 min return walk.. I chose the river bed access as it was more level and I consider the view from below to be more dramatic. Crossing the stream was easy enough as, there were stepping stones to keep my feet dry.

Other worldly. Best to walk the bush track there which gives great views, and then walk down the river bed.

A must see, incredible how these tower above you... And its a relatively short and easy walk

The soft and easily eroded pebbles here are about 12-14 million years old. Putangirua Stream has formed a series of deep riffle through which rainwater flows vertically. The large rocks washed by the rain prevented the pebbles just below from being eroded by the water and formed the hills that stood like hats on each of them. Today, this hat on most of the hills has lost its shape and continues to erode.

Soooo cool to see. Did the stream track as you get to walk in between the pinnicals. Note there is no actual track you just follow the stream all the way up. This means lots of river rocks and gravel and crossing water that is atleast ankle deep. My shoes got soaked and they were hiking ones. Watch your step as it is very off road walking. But so worth it.

so amazing a must visit!! fairly easy walk into the pinnacles (you can walk up to the lookout and then down into the pinnacles for the best loop but if you had to choose either up or through I would definitely go along the riverbed through them). also the walk is mainly on loose rocks though so be prepared for that.

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Great DOC campground here.There are several walks in the area.The pinnacle return one is a great one.Steady ascent through native bush to get a great view from the top.Continue the loop to the base of the Pinnacles.Here you are walking through them.

Moderate loop walk which climbs up to a great viewpoint thru lovely forest. Steep decline to the riverbed that takes you up into the badlands, where you are surrounded by the pinnacles.

An amazing walk through a unique landscape. Formation is different to Omarama Clay Cliffs.Do not take Ridge Walk Track if you want to avoid a steep climb. Taking the Pinacles Track along the streambed would be ideal for all fitness levels. This is a LOTR Movie location. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the walk. Check for good weather - Watch for falling rocks on windy days.

Awesome walk up to the look out, then down through the river bed to look at these strange rock formations.We walked the bush track up to the look out first, then down to the rocks and back to the carpark along the river bed.Can get quite crowded, so the carpark might be full. I got there at 10am and wasnt many people. When I left at 12pm, there was no parks at all.

The Pinnacles are absolutely stunning! The walk is 1.5 hours return, if you go to the lookout you will be walking up hill for most of it then down a different path. Go up the main path and then back down the river bed path for a different view. You can also walk up the river bed and see the Pinnacles from the bottom which is just as neat as seeing them from the top. You can also stay at the DOC site below which has campsites and toilets. No fresh water onsite

Great walks to view the pinnacles. Basic DOC campsite with a good amount of space and adequate facilities. Popular with day visitors.

Went to bush walk and came back to stream bed down. Bush walk was good as it was sunny day and hot.There was a table to have a quick picnic lunch with a little shade area. Bring insact repellent. Toilet block near by but no toilet paper. Bring your own and take your rubbish back.

Stunning views. The loop track isnt very difficult, takes about 2.5 hours to complete. The walk near the pinnacles is simply amazing.

Amazing scenery and rock formations. The hike up the hill was worth the exercise. Wear good shoes as there are some loose stones on the stream path before reaching the beautiful rock formations. Requires some fitness but an easy grade hike overall. Theres a camp site right before the 2 paths leading to thr pinnacles for those freedom campers or on campervans and parking spaces nearby. Have breakfast if going in the morning or bring snacks/drinks for energy boost.

Amazing trekking route with beautiful landscape, I recommend going up to the pinnacles itself and then taking the upper route to see them from the above. Both tracks take around 2,5h walk.

We drove two hours from Palmerston North to arrive at the Putangirua Pinnacles Scenic Reserve. Walking up the streambed is not that easy. Amazingly meet lots of families with small children, two pregnant women and lots of families with dogs.Pinnacles base is wonderful, thw pinnacles are amazing.

One of the most fascinating places I have ever been, especially cool that this is one of the sets from the Lord of the Rings

Great walk to the lookout. We did the lower lookout

A good little hike up the stream. The rock formations are breathtaking up close. See if you can find where the filmed the road of the dead!

We spent 2h30 here without noticing. The lookout point is on a loop. We went left first to see the pinnacles from above then went down to see them from their base. Just dont forget to look back at the see while climbing. For the LotR fans theyll be happy to find this looks like the movie.

A much loved place to visit! Follow the riverbed or walk the ridge. Absolutely gorgeous.

Fantastic place for a short walk with your partner or the whole family.During the summer it can become very hot so be sure to bring water for your trip

Fun little hike up to the Pinnacles, a little tough because of the rocky stream bed you need to hike uphill to see but totally worth it!

It is a bit of a long ride out there, but well worth the trip. It is easy to go off the path without knowing, but not likely to get lost there so it should not be much of a problem.

Beautiful scenery and well worth the walk! used for the filming of the Return of the king lotr as the paths of the dead. its changed a lot since then but its still very similar and still feels magical! I would say not wheelchair accessible and quite a steep uphill slog up a dried river bed!

Awesome spot! 45 to 50 minutes driving from Martinborough. Small campsite and parking. Some information on a board. 2 nice walks to view the pinnacles. About 35 to 45 minutes one way. Can spend a good amount of time exploring the pinnacles. Take walking or even hiking shoes. Lots of rocks and some small river crossings. Rocks placed on the rivers though so theres a small chance of getting wet.

Follow the orange signs/flags and you will not be lost. Very beautiful and worth to see natural rock formations. River crossing required so wear waterproof boots. Allow around 2 hours for shorter route.

Worth a visit even if you dont follow Lord of the Rings. Great geology, amazing views. Do the longer viewing platform walk first