Distance: 5.9 km (3.5 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 118m to 216m. Gain: 53m. Loss: 150m . Gradient: 2 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

Tramping track (4/9)
Cut, marked tramping track: natural, rough ground surface

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

A track / route leads down the Whitcombe River from Frew Hut to Rapid Creek Hut.

The track is marked as far as the Frew River (ankle-knee deep in normal flows) beyond which you are left mainly to find your own way down the riverbed on the true right until the swingbridge is reached. Crossing at the swingbridge a cut/marked sidle track commences on the western valleyside. This drops occasionally to rock-hop beside the river but is otherwise well marked but steep-sidling in places. The track ends about 1km above Rapid Creek on broad gravel flats.

Rapid Creek can be crossed with dry feet in low-normal flows, but a swingbridge exists 300m upstream if the river is up (officially closed when I visited in 2020). Continue a further 300m down the bank of the Whitcombe to pick up DOC triangles marking the start of the brief track to Rapid creek Hut.

2-3.5 hrs

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description