Distance: 5.7 km (4.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 176m to 772m. Gain: 26m. Loss: 621m . Gradient: 7 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Secondary, unmapped (4/5)
Route not on maps, an alternative recognised access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

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

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

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

From Maymorn Junction, head 400m west along the road past the head of the 1st creek to the 1st spur. On the road corner (shown on maps) a good spur drops NNW into the forks at the head of the Nagatiawa though open bush.

Once in the creek the 1st 2km are good travel on shingle beds. Below the forks things gorge out for a bit until you are west of pt751, where small falls require brief scrambles on river boulders. A section of barren, slip-scarred valley follows - spectacular country to the large flat shown on the map. Beyond here a track starts on the southern bank, unmarked but generally visible on the ground. This crosses the creek multiple times as you head downstream.

Good routes exist up spurs in this section:
- Spurs south of pt751 and west of pt890 both provide good routes to the tops, but are steep scrambles for the 1st 100m.
- The spur west of pt751 wan be climbed by heading briefly up the northern sidecreek and cutting back onto the spur

About 1km above the forks you hit the first fo several grassy flats on the southern bank, Remains of camps are visible here, and an old 4WD track starts on the southern bushedge, climbing the face to the south.

Travel in the river is ankle to knee deep and becomes impassable after rain. The worst sections are the crossing near the roadend lower down.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

A good route continues up Ngatiawa Stream. The first 2km above the Ngatiawa forks are lightly tracked with multiple crossings, and beyond that you are left to find your own way up the riverbed and banks. Small waterfalls exist around the forks west of pt751, but can easily be scrambled on boulders (the spur west of pt751 wan be climbed by heading briefly up the northern sidecreek and cutting back onto the spur).

Travel in the river is ankle to knee deep, and generally better than the crossings lower down.

A section of barren valley scared by continuous slips follows - amazing country. Take the southern fork at the base of spurs 751 and 890 (both spurs also provide good routes to the tops, but are steep scrambles for the 1st 100m).

The valley opens and becomes good going from here on shingle bed. Once in the head basin below Oddlands Rd, the spur between the eastern-most two forks provides a gentle climb through good open bush to hit Oddlands Rd 400m west of Maymorn Junction.