Distance: 2.4 km (4.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Hard terrain
Altitude: 360m to 1101m. Gain: 741m. Loss: 0m . Gradient: 18 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Continuous moderate climbs

Hard (difficulty: 5/5)
Thick scrub-bash / continuous river boulders, waterfalls, or gorges

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

From the ridgeline we sidled west-north-west for a km-or-so – keeping below the scrubby ridgeline until on the main spur heading down between the 2 forks of the 1st sidecreek of the Waikura. Going was tough and slow – mature bush but tangled with supplejack. Once on the ridge we aimed downhill for the creek forks, but soon hit thick, almost impenetrable scrub. The best option was to find a slip and follow it to one of the creekbeds – we chose a slip leading to the southern creek, and hit it some 700m above the forks. From here going was steep with several small, and 1 large waterfalls to sidle round. Valleysides were steep but open grass/scree so sidling was possible but not exactly fun.

Below the forks, going was good for the remaining 700m to the Waikura. But then anything would have been an improvement.