Distance: 12.1 km (10.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 550m to 848m. Gain: 642m. Loss: 820m . Gradient: 7 deg (Gentle)
Skills:

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

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

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

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Heading SW a few meters into the bush beyond the TV tower and you’ll pick up orange / pink markers (paint blobs on trees) heading NW along the ridgeline. The route follows the ridgeline and is scrubby but passable for the first 1.5km (to P27 905897). Beyond here it’s into mature beech and much more pleasant going. Several of the peaks stick above the bushline, and give views of the sounds. Follow the main ridge, taking care at the southern peak of Mt Duncan to select the southern ridge towards the Waikakaho – Cullen creek saddle. A compass will probably be required as several knobs have multiple ridges descending from them.

There is no water on this section of ridgeline and in summer creekheads shown on the map are likely to be dry. The nearest I found was at the (private, locked) hut 2.5km north down the Waikakaho-Cullen Creek track.