Distance: 12.7 km (12.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Hard terrain
Altitude: 1045m to 1242m. Gain: 748m. Loss: 791m . Gradient: 7 deg (Gentle)
Skills:

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

Hard (difficulty: 5/5)
Thick scrub-bash / continuous river boulders, waterfalls, or gorges

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

None (difficulty: 1/6)
No unbridged river crossings

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

Whakataka Hut book lets you know what you’re in for. DOC have never cut the track on to Waiotukapiti since they took over from the forest service in the early '80's. And it’s 22km.

From the junction above the hut, heading SSW, the bush is mainly beech with only occasional bands of fern and scrub. The ground trail is often visible on the forest floor, and going is reasonable – 2km/h is achievable - though 'DOC standard times' would be closer to 1km/h. Unfortunately the new DOC triangles stop after a couple of km, and track markers become very sporadic – a mix of flagging tape and old NZFS permolat. Careful map & compass work is required on several summits to choose the correct ridgeline down.

Nearing the junction with the Waikaremoana track, things deteriorate. The last 500m to the track junction is solid scrub – mainly crawling, with some climbing. It takes me over 1hr to cover 500m. Don’t waste time looking for the actual junction or ongoing track itself, as both are obliterated by scrub. Just concentrate on making progress in the correct direction. For those heading South to Waiotukapiti - possible following the western escarpment would be better to stay out of the old overgrown clearing? Report back if you try it!

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

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