Distance: 1.5 km (1.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate-hard terrain
Altitude: 1074m to 1168m. Gain: 0m. Loss: 94m . Gradient: 4 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

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

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

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

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

Streams (difficulty: 2/6)
Small streams, danger only in extreme weather

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

Heading south from Otore we sidle the valley on the west side of the creek. The bush has become scrubbier below the clearing and it is slow going. Several side-creeks, each in it’s own steep-sided gully, add additional challenges. Finally, sticking 150m-or-so from the creek, we emerge into the open tussock flats of the upper Harkness. The first 200m of the 'clearing' is thick with thigh-high scrub, and painful going. However, angling downriver and towards the creek, to where we can see good tussock, we soon reach good going. A creek joins from the east, and below it we pick up Warratahs and a narrow foot-worn track – the route from Mangatainoka Hut to Tussck Hut.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Leave the poled route here and continue up the western bank of the Harkness heading due north. As the clearing starts to run out, head up to the western bushedge, and follow that north into the bush. Sidling at about 100m from the creek gives a reasonable, but scrubby route up to Otora clearing, 1km beyond. The toughest bit is the crossing of the first sidestream just above the clearing.

The 1 bunk Otore Biv is at the south-western end of the Otorehinaiti Clearing, tucked just inside the bushedge.