Distance: 7.1 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, hard - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 604m to 1639m. Gain: 1053m. Loss: 188m . Gradient: 10 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6) Winter - Iceaxe/crampons (4/7)

Unmarked route, hard (8/9)
Unmarked route, no clear geographic features to follow

Secondary, unmapped (4/5)
Route not on maps, an alternative recognised access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

Alpine weather (difficulty: 2/7)
Tramp on open tops, exposed to alpine weather

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

Iceaxe/crampons (difficulty: 4/7)
Ice axe and crampons required in winter

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

A reasonable route drops from the Puketeraki Range to the Esk / Nigger confluence and climbs to Nigger Huts. The sections of the route from the summit to Nigger Bush, and from the Esk to the huts are on private land and permission is required from Mt White Station (contact DOC for details).

Swing briefly SW along the Puketeraki Range from pt1645, round the head of a creek, take the next spur west – drop towards the very politely named Nigger Bush.

Beech forest provide easy, open travel on a NW bearing down from pt1360, scrub only appearing as we near the 'clearings' above the Esk. The large clearing on map turns out to be an expanse of kanuka swamp – tall, tight packed scrub on a marshy soft floor. But cut round to its northern side, and drop easily through dry open kanuka bordering the forest to reach cattle-grazed grassy flats by the river below.

Once in the Esk, head briefly downstream to the forks with the Nigger – through deep canyons carved through mud and scree. Cross 3 times to avoid bluffs - up to thigh deep in normal flows. From the forks, head up the steep zigzag track from the forks to Nigger Huts on farmed terraces 100m above.