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DOC Land
Altitude: 472m to 1221m. Gain: 865m. Loss: 599m . Gradient: 13 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Prolonged scrambles (4/7) - Streams (2/6)
I do not recommend this route. I include it here for reference only, but that said if you read this, and really want to go for it, at least you go pre-warned.
Alternatives are:
- Rogers Hut to Central Waiau via pt1067 (scrubby and hard but far easier and safer than this route)
- Wairoa Stream Gorge. They built Rogers Hut with material carted up Wairoa Stream - so it was once possible. However, the 3 people I've met that have tried it have all been forced to turn back.
- Maungataniwha Summit. A track once existed over Maungataniwha high-point. I've heard contradictory stories about where this route went, and so will not include details here.
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From the low point of the blue-slip sidle track, I dropped west into Maungangarara Stream, an easy descent down a moderate, open face. This route avoids tough gorges further downriver in Maungangarara Stream.
Heading upriver, the riverbed is broad and easy going on river rocks - the stream generally small and travel generally on the banks. A couple of small waterfalls required scrambling on boulders to bypass - but normal stuff for the off-track tramper.
The creek swings back SW, and a forks is reached with one branch dropping from the NW and the other from the SW. I had planned on heading up this NW fork, but a large waterfall 500m upriver blocks progress. Instead I climbed onto the spur due east, between the two forks (which eventually reaches pt1223). Though steep and loose lower down this soon changed to good open bush and relatively easy travel. I climbed to roughly the 1100m contour, and then sidled the northern face of the ridge at this altitude, heading more-or-less west. Climbing higher get into scrub, whereas bluffs were present lower down.
I followed this face west, crossing the sidestream shown on the maps 400-500m north of pt 1223. The stream crossing was tricky, with the stream deeply gouged, and it was hard to find viable entry and exit points into it.
Once over the spur west of the stream, I continued sidling west at 1050m, but vegetation was now far scrubbier than before. About 300m later I met the first of many impassible rock amphitheaters and progress on the face was stopped. As such, I dropped into the head of the valley instead, down the small spur shown on maps north of pt1313, dropping NNW to forks at the head of the valley. The last bit of the drop into the creek was very steep, but there was ample vegetation to climb down - thick, hard, but possible downclimbing.
Hitting the creek due north of pt1313, I picked up the spur climbing due west at the valley head. This started off good, in mature bush out of the valley floor for perhaps 100m. However, It soon met a stratum of continuous tight scrub. I was forced to follow the dog through pig and goat tunnels through this scrub, climbing to the summit just west of pt1232. This was very slow going, in places taking the pack off and pushing it ahead of me through tunnels in the vegetation.
The thick scrub continued once on the top - moire hands-and-knees stuff - heading SSW over pt1232 - the only bonus being that good goat tracks were present through it. If only goats were taller! The ridgeline is far narrower than indicated by maps, and faces north and south often sheer and impassable. Good bush below tempted me off the ridgeline a few times, but each I was forced to backtrack by steep bluffs. Staying on the ridge and battling through thick scrub was the only option.
After the 2nd (unnumbered) peak, I swing west towards the saddle that leads to pt1091. The descent to the saddle was steep, but at least the scrub was finally left behind. There are near sheer faces here to be navigated in the drop to the saddle and following goat tracks was the only way to find viable routes through the bluffs.
Once off the ridge I picked up the first main spur dropping SW, rather than continuing north-west to the saddle and pt1091. This spur was covered in windfall and scrub at first, and very hard going, but after maybe 100m opened up into beautiful mature open bush and great going. The spur swings west to hit the forks upstream of Mangakahika Hut. I missed the point I should have swung west and ended up in very steep, dangerous country to the south of the main spur. I was forced to backtrack and pick up the correct spur. Apparently the only viable route down.
Once on the valley floor it was a simple stroll downriver to flats where the hut was visible though trees to the north.
This trip from Te Waiotekapiti to Mangakahika took me an entire day, and the last 2.5km took me 5 hours. The slowest, hardest bush-tramping I've yet encountered.
I have not recounted all of the various failed attempts at other options I made during this crossing - but in general, all routes I tried other than the above lead to impassible bluffs and overly dangerous country.