Distance: 1.8 km (1.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 575m to 1100m. Gain: 526m. Loss: 1m . Gradient: 17 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

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

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

An unofficial route from No Mans Road to Dead Dog starts on the well-defined corner adjacent to Rakautaonga highpoint (marked on maps).

Heading SW from the road corner, head for the tongue of beech forest approaching the road from the SW. Once in it, follow it down, still SW, until you pick up the well defined spur dropping into the creek below. The slip to the north on the map is steep and impassible. That to the south is grassy, and may be navigable, but we remained on the spur all the way to the river . A bit scrubby, but doable in mature podocarp buish.

The creek is narrow with small flats beside it, but with plenty of ongaonga (tree nettle) around, the riverbed seemed the best approach. The creek was boot to knee deep when I visited, and though it could flood in heavy rain should generally be manageable in normal conditions. No major difficulties, other than slippery river rocks the 500m to the forks where the DOC track joins from the west. A further 300m on grassy terraces leads to Dead Dog Hut, 20m above the river on the northern bank. Highpoint -> Hut 1-1.5hrs