Distance: 6.4 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 488m to 1081m. Gain: 935m. Loss: 564m . Gradient: 14 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6) Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)

Tramping track (4/9)
Cut, marked tramping track: natural, rough ground surface

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal 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

Snow/ice underfoot (difficulty: 2/7)
Snow/ice likely on track

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

A reasonable track connects Top Trent / Lagoon Hut and Elizabeth Hut.

From Top Trent to the flats 1km east of the saddle the track is cut through thick scrub and maintained by volunteers (2018) - uneven and a bit of low scrub but easy to follow.

A poled route leads through tall, uneven tussocklands for 1km over the saddle. Poles are infrequent and grasses were waist to head height when I visited - slow going. There is no ground trail.

A cut track runs down the Haupiri, starting by sidling from the scubline on the true right, but soon crossing to the true left, where it remains all the way to the hut. This was cut by DOC in 2018 and was easy walking. 1km before the hut the track drops steeply to the main river, crossing a steep side creek. The descent into this creek had slipped out when I visited and was a tough scramble.

A large fork of the Haupiri is crossed 20m before the hut. The crossing location is flat with slow river flows, and fine in moderate flows after persistent light rain. This crossing will be impassable however in flood conditions.

Elizabeth Hut is located on a s mall grassy flat 20m beyond the river crossing.

2-3 hrs