Distance: 6.3 km (5.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 896m to 1655m. Gain: 1015m. Loss: 331m . Gradient: 12 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Streams (2/6) Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)

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

minor (5/5)
A viable route, not widely used

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Continuous 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

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

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Just west of Thunderbolt drop down through the saddle (there is water 150m down to the west) and up to 1656m. There will be old cairns on all these ridge lines. From here you need to follow the 1498 ridge down and around Trick creek. Again there will be a faint trail and old Cairns and remnants of old signs just before you drop to the Rangitikei. Drop of the tops keeping to the minor spur to the South down into the river. There will be a campsite over the river but ideally continue downstream to the confluence of the Ecology. Excellent campsite.