shem banbury

Some trips begin with big objectives and serious faces. Ours began with a car full of snacks, a 90-minute car ride from Christchurch, and the familiar sound of one child asking, “Do we really have to go?”

Pinnacles Hut (the Mount Somers one — not the Coromandel mega-hut) is one of those perfect “proper tramp, but still doable with a whānau (family)” missions. You get forest, ridgelines, a proper hut night, and a river that keeps you honest.

The Quick Info
Start point: Sharplin Falls car park at the end of Flynns Road, Staveley.
To the hut: 3.5 hours / 5.8 km (DOC timing). We took 2 hours of walking time.
Track vibe: steep, rooty, and genuinely “intermediate” in places (kids need supervision in the tricky bits).
The river factor: streams can flood — Pony Stream is the big one to watch after rain.
Hut details: serviced, 19 bunks, no cooking utensils, bookings required.

Day One: up through the beech, over the knob, into the valley

We left from the Sharplin Falls car park, which was busy with lots of people visiting the falls. Right from the start, the track wastes no time pretending it’s flat. It climbs very steeply through tawhairauriki / mountain beech forest towards Dukes Knob, and it’s the kind of climb that makes everyone suddenly agree with that one child in the car who was saying, “Do we really have to go?”

We took it all in one go — right up to Dukes Knob. But with a younger family, or with a light rain which would make the track very slippery, you might have to stop a few times.

Once you crest and start easing your way off Dukes Knob, the feel of the trip changes. The forest opens, the air cools, and eventually you begin to follow Bowyers Stream as it guides you into the valley that holds the hut.

The river section: Bowyers Stream and the “this could be spicy in heavy rain” reality check

Bowyers Stream is the soundtrack for the second half of the walk — always nearby, sometimes right beside you, and occasionally reminding you that nature does not care about your clean socks.

DOC is very clear: heavy rain can flood the streams and make crossings impassable, particularly Pony Stream.
Even on a good day, you can see how quickly that valley could turn from “fun family tramp” to “let’s turn back”.

For us, in the middle of summer with beautiful weather, it was classic: rock-hop, watch your footing, and keep the kids spaced out so everyone has room to concentrate. It’s the part of the walk that feels the most “real tramp”, and honestly it’s also the part the kids remembered the most (because anything involving water instantly becomes a highlight).

We stopped for a dip in the river and a rest. This was probably the best part of the trip, and the cool water certainly took your breath away. We walked relatively fast, and to get to the hut took us 2 hours of walking time and 3 hours when our stops were included.

Pinnacles Hut: small hut, big setting

Pinnacles Hut sits in a dramatic amphitheatre of rock and tussock, named for the rock formations on Mount Somers’ northern face — the result of ancient lava flows cooling around 90 million years ago.

The hut itself is a serviced 19-bunk hut with heating, mattresses, and non-flush toilets — and it’s bookable, which is great for planning… and also means it can fill up fast.
Two key notes:
Cooking facilities and utensils aren’t provided, so you need your own stove setup.
Water is not treated — boil it.

We settled in, claimed bunks like we were choosing seats on a long-haul flight, and got dinner going. That’s the hut magic: hot drinks appearing, and a bunch of ordinary family chatter somehow becoming the best part of the trip.

Day Two: the same track, but downhill

The return is the reverse story: back along Bowyers Stream, keeping an eye on side streams, then back up and over the beechy climb near Dukes Knob, and down to the car park.
By the time we hit the car park again, everyone had that classic post-tramp look: dirty shoes, rosy cheeks, and the quiet pride of doing something hard together.

EXTRAS – If you want to make it bigger: the full Mount Somers Track

If you’ve got more time (or you’re travelling with people who enjoy “steady climbs” as a hobby), the wider Mount Somers Track links Pinnacles Hut with Woolshed Creek Hut and can be done as a 2-day tramp.
That full route includes tussock, a saddle, and even historic mining remnants like the Blackburn Mine and old coal-transport infrastructure.

Also worth noting: the track exists thanks to locals — the Mt Somers Walkways Society formed in 1983, and the route is managed by DOC with ongoing help from the society.

Helpful links

DOC Mount Somers Track (track notes, hazards, timings).
DOC Pinnacles Hut (Mount Somers) (bookings, fees, what’s provided).