Distance: 4.2 km (3.5 DOC hours) - Unmaintained track - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 478m to 1009m. Gain: 148m. Loss: 679m . Gradient: 11 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

Unmaintained track (5/9)
Former track, overgrown - markers / ground trail still followable

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

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

An overgrown track drops from County Stream Hut to the river, some 100m below the forks. It is possible to cross here in low flows, but the crossing above the Bloomfield Creek confluence is easier and possible with normal flows present. If you cross above Bloomfield, a brief scramble round a small bluff is required to head downstream from the forks.

A riverbed route follows the true left of the County Stream for approx 2km below Bloomfield Creek. The riverbed is bouldery in places and some scrambles are required. Two brief sidle sections bypass impassable sections of riverbed and are roughly marked.

100m above O'Relly Creek the horizon disappears and the river starts to tumble steeply down a series of small falls towards to Waitara Forks. A marked track starts on the true left at the top of the first fall and sidles the western face, returning briefly to the riverbed after 200m before sidling off west again above the main Waitara valley. The track was well cut (2016) and very well marked, with no woody vegetation across the track. However, tall grass, toetoe, fern and flax return quickly after each haircut so expect to be pushing through waist high green growth for much of the way.

The junction with the Upper Waitara track is signposted.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the Waitara / County track junction, the track to County Stream Hut sidles and climbs east up the south side of the Waitara, cutting into the County to reach the riverbed 1.5km above the forks. A brief riverbed section follows, before the track cuts back onto the western valleyside to avoid the last of the falls, returning to the riverbed for good 200m later. The cut track was in good condition (2016) being free fo woody vegetation, though grass, fern, toetoe and flax were present and often waist high. The track was very well marked with permolat.

Above O'Reilly creek the route follows the riverbed on the true left (west) to County Stream Hut. A couple of sections have bypass tracks on the western valleyside where the riverbed is impassable. There are several bouldery sections and scrambles are required.

A rough, overgrown track climbs to a low terrace on the eastern valleyside 150m below County Stream Hut, and then sidles and climbs to the hut. This track was very overgrown lower down when I visited and I could not find it. An alternative route is to climb a clear grassy slip 200m up Bloomfield Creek onto the lower of two terraces, and then to cut north along the terrace until you hit the track. The hut is on the next terrace up, and the upper section of the track easier to locate / follow.

The crossing of County Stream below the hut is tricky in anything over than low flows, and when I visited it was necessary to cross above Bloomfield CReek, where a good crossing exists. This required a brief scramble on the western face above bluffs/boulders at the confluence.