Distance: 6.1 km (8.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 204m to 918m. Gain: 6m. Loss: 717m . Gradient: 7 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Streams (2/6)

Unmarked route, clear (7/9)
Unmarked route, follows obvious geography (river, spur, trail, etc)

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

Occasional scrambles (difficulty: 3/7)
Tramp with some scrambles and exposure to falls

Streams (difficulty: 2/6)
Small streams, danger only in extreme weather

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

If the river is up then travel is possible on the true right from the forks to river mouth. The only crossings are of the east branch of the Delta Burn below the falls, and of the two main sidestreams lower down - all were easily passable after persistent moderate rain (50mm overnight) but would become impassable in heavy rain.

Cross the flats and then ascend onto bush terraces on the true right above the gorge. Follow deer trails down the spur - obvious on the map. Do not cut right or left as both sides bluff out. From the base the route stays close (within 50m) of the river on the true right all the way to the delta - sometimes on flats, sometimes sidling low on the faces. River crossings become easier between 1.5km and 1km from the lakeshore - giving access to the spur leading to Gorge Burn. The final 1km is ferny with much windfall - travel is aided by dry riverbeds some distance from the main river - which is not the one shown on maps (2009 edition) but comes out about 300m west of the mouth shown. Good campspots exist on the shore at the narrowest point in the fiord.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description