Distance: 4.2 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Unmaintained track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 99m to 194m. Gain: 189m. Loss: 271m . Gradient: 6 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

Unmaintained track (5/9)
Former track, overgrown - markers / ground trail still followable

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

Heading downriver from Midway hut the track starts out unmaintained but well defined - a benched roadway sidling the valley faces in mature podcarp bush. After a couple of kilometers the bush gives way to a series of clearings, and whilst the track is well defined in bush sections it is indiscernable across the clearings - so picking it up again on the far side can be tricky.

The track finally reaches a grassy terrace above the confluence of the Tokenui and Wahaatua rivers, and drops left to the Tokenui in a series of switchbacks. Headfing 200m down the riverbed a DOC triangle on the eastern bank marks the start of the track to Te Waiti Hut which lies 200m beyond on grassy terraces.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Heading upriver the track drops you back at the stream, 100m below the forks. Just past the forks, we ignore the DOC sign pointing upriver, and climb the worn zigzag track back to the river terrace above. Heading south along the 1st terrace, after a bit of nosing around, we finally pick out our next Urutawa road heading into thick low bush. For the first 2km, this wanders in and out of grassy sloped clearings – quite well defined through the bush, but indiscernible across the clearings – meaning it often takes a bit of casting about to pick it up again where you re-enter the bush. It keeps roughly the same altitude, so don’t make the mistake of climbing/dropping too far. Once past all the clearings it’s an easy walk along the historic ‘road’ to Midway Hut. Just before the hut there’s a junction, with a branch of the road dropping west down to the river. The track straight on was less obvious and easy to miss. The hut lies 200m beyond.