Distance: 4.0 km (1.0 DOC hours) - Road - Easy terrain
Altitude: 350m to 489m. Gain: 267m. Loss: 253m . Gradient: 7 deg (Gentle)
Skills:

Road (1/9)
Formed road, 4WD track, etc

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

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy (difficulty: 1/5)
Grass / prepared surface

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

None (difficulty: 1/6)
No unbridged river crossings

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

From Mangahao No 2 dam, walk 100m up the track to the Mangahao Road, and turn left to follow it back towards 'civilisation'. The track zigzags out of the valley, then sidles down into the next. 100m before reaching the head of the next reservoir, a signpost on the left marks the start of a section of Te Araroa trail leading to Gladstone Road..

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the Te Araroa turnoff, continue a further 3km along the 4WD Mangahao Rd, crossing a saddle and zigzagging down the far side to reach Mangahao No 2 Dam. A track just upstream of the dam, cuts back down to buildings on the dam itself, where there is limited parking.