Distance: 5.5 km (6.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate-hard terrain
Altitude: 395m to 872m. Gain: 111m. Loss: 572m . Gradient: 7 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Secondary, unmapped (4/5)
Route not on maps, an alternative recognised access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Tall, walkable scrub / large rocks, occasional waterfalls or gorges in rivers

Occasional scrambles (difficulty: 3/7)
Tramp with some scrambles and exposure to falls

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

From the boggy Taheke Saddle, follow the stream down, passing the two tarns on their western side. Deer trails lead through / over the scrubby headlands. From the lake outlet follow the tussock tongue down into scrubby beech, and then pick up deer trails leading you down the valley. Initially the going is slow and scrubby on the true right, but after a while deer trails cross to the true left and enter stunted but mossy open forest.

Once on the flat valley floor, and below the first main forks entering from the east, look out for where trails cross back to the true right as one of the clearings here is well-drained, sandy/grassy providing good dry camping (though prone to morning dew/frost).

Below the clearings the river starts to drop steeply into the Glaisnock. Travel is best on deer trails on the true right. A large boulderfield presents difficulties, with deer trails petering out. I found the boulder riverbed on the true right provided the best scramble-route down through this, with brief detours onto the western face around impassable falls. Soon after the last of the boulders the main Glaisnock valley is reached. The track up/down the Glaisnock valley is on the true right (southern) bank and so it is necessary to cross the Glaisnock. This crossing was a dry-foot boulder hop 1 day after moderate rainfall - so should normally not be a problem - but could easily be impassable in or soon after a big rain event. The track will be found on the riverbank and is marked with tape and blue triangles.

A good prepared bush campspot exists on the track at the forks.

Saddle -> Forks: 4-8 hours

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description