Distance: 4.1 km (2.0 DOC hours) - Marked route - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 223m to 711m. Gain: 422m. Loss: 867m . Gradient: 19 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

Marked route (6/9)
Uncut route, with markers normally within sight

minor (5/5)
A viable route, not widely used

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

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

Continuing south along the ridgeline a trapline is marked by yellow triangles. Dropping to a saddle the ridgeline starts to climb towards Ruatupapaku. An intermediate highpoint is reached 200m before the summit. A trapline drops west from here, marked with 2 yellow triangles, signposted Te Kapua. This heads west down the spur north of Kiokio Stream to reach the river at the forks of Kiokio and Ruatiti.

To start the river is tight and scrubby, but it soon opens to scrubby flats. Just above the confluence, an unmarked track starts on the northern bank, climbing and sidling above gorges at the forks and dropping into the stream 400m downstream of the hut. A marked track is soon picked up on the western bank, running upstream to Wharekahika Hut, which is in a large clearing just up the sidestream.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description