Things To Do In New Zealand: Putangirua Pinnacles

---

What: Putangirua Pinnacles

Where: Aorangi Ranges, Nr Wellington. North Island, NZ

The Pūtangirua Pinnacles are a geological formation, consisting of a number of earth pillars or hoodoos. Over 7-9 million years old when the Aorangi ranges were an island. The land mass was eroded when the sea water was much higher. When the sea levels receded after the last ice age, the area was then exposed to erosive forces of wind and water which weathered away the pillars.

They are thought to be less than 125,000 years old, with the last major erosion happening around 7,000 years ago and accelerated by deforestation in the last 1,000 years.

The Pinnacles are used in the film The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King as part of the Paths of the Dead sequence. The area is surrounded by a scenic reserve in the Aorangi Forest Park and coastal paths, where you can camp and hike.

Currently the Pinnacles are closed due to a landslip near the car park, but this may change with the seasons. We love this account of the area by blogger Dismal Wilderness: https://dismalwilderness.com/putangirua-pinnacles-the-paths-of-the-dead/