Distance: 5.9 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Unmaintained track - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 649m to 1066m. Gain: 557m. Loss: 497m . Gradient: 10 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

Unmaintained track (5/9)
Former track, overgrown - markers / ground trail still followable

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

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

Dropping west from the junction, the track crosses the creek below a confluence (knee-deep, ok in normal flows). It sidles, climbing, on the southern face of the sidecreek, though old-growth podocarp, windfall aplenty. The track crosses a scarred-out gully, and is hard to find as it sidles out the far side, slightly higher. At the next gully, the same thing happens again, and I failed completely to find it as it exited the far side. After wasting much time looking, I climb the spur on the far side to the ridgeline – reasonable going though scrubby with low fern, and follow the main ridge west until I pick up the track again where the maps shows it cutting across to the south face.

Beyond this point it has had sporadic, amateur maintenance Scrub is cut off at thight height, so although not great going, the track is at least identifiable. It continues to climb through mature beech, sidling most of the highpoints. The suddenly, the bush ends and 2-4m high regenerating scrub takes over. It’s light below the open canopy, and lots of thick, ferny undergrowth results. Four more kilometers of the same follows along the ridgeline, before finally the track swings best belw Opureke and drops down a face towards the pine forest below. Though going is slow and scrubby, the track is well marked and can be followed with a bit of care.

Another sudden transformation follows – this time from scrub to pine trees. The tramping track ends abruptly at a rough forestry track which leads left or right. With no clue from the map or signposts I turn right (north-west), and soon find myself down at the main Waipunga forestry road.

(see associated 'place' for details of how to find this turnoff)

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description