Distance: 1.8 km (0.8 DOC hours) - Benched track - Easy terrain
Altitude: 337m to 538m. Gain: 75m. Loss: 225m . Gradient: 10 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

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

North of the Paetawa Junction, the ridgeline track north towards Taurawharana Hut is a veritable motorway compared to other tracks in the region. Over 2m wide, marked, well cut and well traveled - easy going. After a bit over a kilometer, crossing a small know the track drops to the creek, This has grown considerably in the last 2km, joined by several side-creeks, but in summer when I visit was a shallow stream flowing over a gravel bed - easily crossed, but certainly capable of causing problems after heavy rain,

A short climb follows, back into open manuka before a huge clearing open up on the hillside with Taurawharana Hut at its head.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From Taurawharana Hut, the well marked track drops south to the creek - a small blue stream over a fine gravel bed - crossable in most conditions without trouble, but capable of causing trouble after heavy rain.

Once over, the broad, well maintained track climbs briefly to the 100m ridgeline, which it then follows for a further 1.5km to the sigNrth nposted junction with the Paetawa Track.