Distance: 0.0 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 718m to 1202m. Gain: 496m. Loss: 77m . Gradient: 225 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - 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

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

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

Follow the route downriver from Beech Hut towards the first sidecreek, and cross back to the true right bank 100m above the forks.

You need to climb the spur downstream of the sidecreek. The first 60m is scrubby, so spy out a good slip or deer trail and push your way up until you emerge onto good open tussock at the 800m contour. An easy walk on a gentle gradient follows to reach the ridgeline 200m north of pt1212, though tussock is knee deep and slows things down a bit.

(Be warned that parties report the spur WSW from pt1212 to Dog Box Creek as being tough: 'never doing that again').

Head south over pt1212 and either climb pt1328 or sidle its western face to reach the spur dropping due west towards Dog Box Biv. The spur is open shingle and lichen and easy, clear going. The last 20m to the creek are steep and rocky, but deer trails point the way.

Dog Box Biv is 100m away on terraces upstream of Dog Box Creek. The main 4WD track up the Eyre River is on flats below.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Head north to pt1212 and 200m beyond where a good broad tussock spur can be seen dropping ENE into the Mataura River. This gives good travel through knee high tussock until about 60m above the valley floor where it becomes steep & scrubby. I chose a good deer trail into the sidecreek to the north of the spur, scrambled though 10m of scrub around the creek and emerged onto open terraces on true right of the Mataura.

The main route up the Matatura is on the true left - so cross where easiest and pick up the faint ground trail heading upriver. Beech Hut is back on the true right, with a further crossing required at the hut. The creek is small - 2m wide and ankle deep.