Distance: 5.7 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Hard terrain
Altitude: 496m to 1268m. Gain: 693m. Loss: 812m . Gradient: 15 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)

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

minor (5/5)
A viable route, not widely used

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

Snow/ice underfoot (difficulty: 2/7)
Snow/ice likely on track

The scrubby spur south of Tutu Hut may be used to gain access to the tops. However the lower 2090m are thick with manuka and broom and slow going - not clear as indicated by maps (2019).

From the hut, head downriver and cross the 1st sidestream from the north. Pick up deer trails heading up the next spur south of the hut. The initial 200m vertical is very scrubby and slow going, though once on the main spur good deer trails provide good access.

At the head of the spur swing north and follow the ridgeline / boundary fence over pt1173 and to the shoulder 500m to its north. The ridgeline is scrubby to the east and steep to the west so can be slow going. Pick up the spur dropping NE to the forks of Boko and the Waiau via pt623. At first travel is easy down a good open spur, but broom becomes increasingly common and thick, slowing progress to a literal crawl. In the lower slopes it helps to seek out makuka with reasonable travel rather than try and push through the broom-clogged clearings.

A steep, thick descent with little visibility drop the last 100m from pt623 to the forks.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description