Distance: 2.7 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 874m to 1044m. Gain: 172m. Loss: 2m . Gradient: 4 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

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

Streams (difficulty: 2/6)
Small streams, danger only in extreme weather

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

Cross the untracked broad clearing to where a pole on the far side marks the start of the track to the upper valley. A good cut and marked track leads through the remaining low scrub, terminating at huge boulderfield. Cairns lead upriver, climbing towards the flats of the upper valley above; become intermittent, half-built, then disappear. The boulders end at scrub - push your way to the riverbed – and continue upriver.

The scrub recedes to the faces and the valley flattens to a magnificent tussock alpine valley floor stretching to ranges at its head. In places, good deer trails provide easy travel upstream, splinter, fade and leave you to pick your way though tall rolling tussock over uneven, pitted ground. A band of morraine crosses the otherwise flat valley floor, the river - a narrow V - forcing it’s way though. Beyond the morraine, a lichen-coated scree fan climbs to a large rocky basin high on the western valleyside - the route to the Taipo via Dry Creek.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description