Distance: 5.6 km (3.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 363m to 499m. Gain: 192m. Loss: 57m . Gradient: 3 deg (Flat)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

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

Flat (difficulty: 1/5)
Flat

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

The sidle track heads 500m upriver from Tawa Hut before swinging east up the Kakahui (heading for Moanui roadend). At the bend / forks, a DOC sign should mark a rough track which drops back to the river allowing us to continue up the Makakoere – but this sign was missing on one of my visits, so be vigilant.

Upriver from Tawa, the deep pools, easy gravel and refreshing shaded valley are no more. Instead, the river becomes a small stream in an often-broad, rocky riverbed. Going is not actually hard – except in the sense of sharp hard rocks on soft paws and feet – but in many ways it is more reminiscent of the Raukumaras further north than the Waioeka / Ureweras. Fern forest remains on a few flat sections, occasional markers hinting that there was once a sidle track – but for the most part walking is on the rocky bed. 500m before the hut there’s a section of ‘rapids’ where the stream tumbles over boulders, which although not the size of a house, would make a cozy hut. Needless to say, the tramper must scramble over the same.

Shortly after, intermittent markers on the eastern bank climb though fern forest and cross a side creek to emerge on a terrace at the hut. This route is not obvious and is easy to miss. A more obvious track to the hut climbs from the broad river flats 50m upstream from the hut, doubling back and climbing the eastern face to a terrace where the hut sits hidden. The hut is not visible from the valley floor, and it is important to be vigilant for one of these two tracks to it – many parties report spending nights camped upriver having missed it, only to spot the track on their way back down river. The track is sometimes marked, and sometimes not – there seems to be an issue with the marker being repeatedly removed.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Head downriver from the hut. Shortly below a section of rapids is encountered with boulder scrambles required. Tough going.

These and after 500m, and gravel flats return. Easy going in normal flows - less than knee deep river but frequent crossings. This is a big catchment though, and after rain the river can frequently be impassible.

A marked but uncut track leaves the river at the forks with the Kahunui and leads 100m to the cut track from Moanui Road to Tawa Hut. Following this right for 500m will lead you to the hut.