Distance: 4.3 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Benched track - Easy terrain
Altitude: 195m to 460m. Gain: 637m. Loss: 372m . Gradient: 14 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

Benched track (3/9)
Benched, maintained, marked tramping track or pack-track

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

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

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

Dropping NE from Puffer Saddle, the benched, cut, marked track sidles the scrubby valleyside before zigzagging down to the Smith Creek valley floor - a 200m descent into beautiful mature podocarp bush. At first the track surface is clay and can be slippery - but it is otherwise a good, easy track. After crossing the small stream (campspots at the crossing, small creek - very unlikely to be impassable) the track sidles the north-western valleyside for a further 3km to the confluence of Smith Creek and the Tauherenikau. The loop track from the former Dobson Hut site joins at the confluence, and 100m further on Smith Creek shelter is just off the track on the uphill side.

Before one of the side stream crossings, the track takes a hard left to climb a few metres up the stream. The old track (markers now removed) crosses directly over the stream and continues over two old slips (which were passable as of Oct 2017) and is a more direct route. A DOC detour sign exists at the northern end of this detour, but is unmarked on the southern end. Track has not been marked as closed, merely that a detour is present.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From Smith Creek Shelter and the Dobson Loop track junction, the Puffer Saddle track heads up Smith Creek, sidling the northern valleyside. It is a good benched track, and easy going. When reaching the DOC sign indicating track detour - the former track is still passable (as of Oct 17) and much more direct than the up and over detour. Two slips exist on the old track, but aren't a problem to negotiate. Just be aware though that this may change and force you to double back. The main track is rejoined at the stream crossing
After about 3km the track drops and crosses the now-small Smith Creek, before commencing its zigzagging climb the remaining 200 vertical meters to Puffer Saddle. The climb is continuous and steady, but the track is good and still benched. Shortly before the summit the bush ends and gorsey scrub takes over.

The junction with the Puffer Saddle - Pylon Track route is at the saddle at the top of the climb