Needing to be in Auckland for a geology conference, I decided to make the most of it and take a couple days off before. I rounded up a couple keen friends to check out a canyon I have had my eye on since shortly after I first set foot in New Zealand: Sleeping God Canyon on the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula.The North Island humidity was in full force as sweat leaked out of every pore on the steep trail to the top of the canyon. We quickly gained the elevation despite 172m of rope, wetsuits and other gear weighing us down. Reaching the creek it was obvious the flow was low and water hazards would not be an issue. The slippery algae-covered rocks, however, were a force to be reckoned with.
Once suited up I plunged into the nearest pool, then scrambled down the creek to reach the dramatic horizon line of the first rappel. From the anchor we could get a good view of a large portion of the canyon. The canyon is a wide, open valley with "flats" of dark tannin pools (often shallower than they appear) interspersed with "steps" of dramatically beautiful waterfalls. Several of the falls have ledges with deep pools below, offering great plunging opportunities in excess of 10m. In total, the canyon drops more than 250m in rappels and jumps.
The second abseil was the big one at 70m and took considerable time to rig as entropy would prefer 172m of rope to be in a large knot. This waterfall (first photo and below) plunges over several steps of columnar basalt before dropping into the steep-walled pool at its base. It is easy to imagine the terrifying force of this falls in a proper flood. We took our time enjoying this amazing spot, finding great enjoyment climbing the steep columnar basalt to a comfortable height, then throwing ourselves backwards into the water. The water, I should add, was the perfect temperature through 4mm of neoprene.
More short falls and jumps follow before another dramatic fall fans out into the pool below. Several large kauri logs jam the creek at intervals, testaments to loggers' attempts to float logs down the creek in sepia-toned days. A 50m waterfall funnels down a narrow crack for a very wet abseil near the bottom. Two more waterfalls follow before the final pool. Here we once again jumped and swam before the warm hike down the rest of the creek and back to our car. In all, a very enjoyable canyon- very different to any other I have been in in New Zealand. Thanks to Callum and Lara for a great trip.
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