Half-dozen high-speed types did the upper loop (all 4-wheel drive trail) before following the other eight down the Wires track. The Wires gets its name from the necessity for the 1860's (or there-about) route of the telegraph wires across the Coromandel range and down the coast to Gisborne, to avoid the lines being wrecked by the native population in the Waikato, still in the throes of the Maori wars.
Waterfall is just (10 minutes) off the track, better observed BEFORE or AFTER (but definitely not DURING) a hail-storm.
PS It wasn’t all a four wheel drive track with the speedy types – but the initial part of the day was with deep rutted muddy tracks with the odd rocky bit. In the rocky sections we could identify bits of 4WDs which had come unstuck – wing mirrors, mud flaps and so on. Some of the holes were so deep there may well have been a complete Land rover down there! Eventually we did come onto the Wires track through the pleasant bush tracks. The very heavy and large hail lasted on tracks for some time. After this walk we went on to see the Maratoto summit – driving along the road and leaving John to take photos of a house where his family had lived in the past. The day was completed by a pie stop in Paeroa (or should it be Pie a roa??)Trish