Distance: 2.2 km (1.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate-hard terrain
Altitude: 321m to 475m. Gain: 17m. Loss: 171m . Gradient: 5 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Prolonged rivers (4/6)

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

Primary, unmapped (2/5)
Route not on maps, but is principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Tall, walkable scrub / large rocks, occasional waterfalls or gorges in rivers

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

Prolonged rivers (difficulty: 4/6)
Frequent river travel - impassible after rain, risk of getting trapped

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

From Twain Hut, follow the track west down to the river. From here, it is possible to travel down the river to Apiti Hut. The first 600m involves deep pools which are impassable on the valley floor without swimming. I found three such pools, and bypassed each on the true right (west) by climbing the steep valleyside on deer trails , sidling past the section of gorge, and dropping back to the river. These climbs were very steep with only small shrubs to haul myself up the face with, and the sidles were steep and exposed to falls.

(This route is not recommended unless you are comfortable with exposed climbs of this sort. The alternative route is SW from twain towards Te Whakaumu, and then south down the ridge to Saddle Hut).

Once past first 600m, pools decrease in size, waist deep for a while until the gorge is finally exited about 1km downriver. From here the riverbed is wide and flat and travel is on good river-rock banks and in the knee-deep flow (normal conditions).

About 2km below Twain, a major sidecreek (Purenga Stream) joins from the west. DOC markers here mark the start of a track climbing SW to the ridgeline,. (This track can be used to bypass the next downstream section of river, if required, though a crossing will be necessary at Apiti Hut).

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the Opaewai-Purenga confluence, continue north up the Opaewai Stream. Going starts easy on a flat valley floor of slippery river rocks and in the shallow (knee deep in normal flows) stream. After about 1km the valley starts to gorge out, and pools become common. Several are waist deep and passable, but eventually, 600m short of the hut, pools become deep and impassable without swimming or climbing above. I found three such such pools, and bypassed each on the true right (west) by climbing the steep valleyside on deer trails, sidling past the sections of gorge and returning to the river. These climbs were very steep with only small shrubs to haul myself up the face with, and the sidles were steep and exposed to falls.

(This route is not recommended unless you are comfortable with exposed climbs of this sort. The alternative route to Twain is via Saddle Hut and the ridge north to Te Whakaumu.)

An obvious confluence is reached just below the hut. Continue NW up the main stream for some 200m, until a signpost and DOC triangles on the TL (eastern) bank indicate the track to the hut. A rouhghly marked and uncut route climbs east some 100 vertical meters onto the spur where the hut is located.