Distance: 5.0 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 944m to 1089m. Gain: 73m. Loss: 195m . Gradient: 3 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

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

The head of the Harkness at Tussock Hut lives up to the hut's name – a broad, gentle, V of a valley, clad in golden tussock. The track crosses the trickle of a stream and sidles the western face. The valley becomes slowly scrubbier as we head downstream – tussock becoming low scrub , later rising to waist height. The poled track changes from a foot-worn slot between tussocks to a full 1.5m-wide, cut Kaweka track. The gentle valleysides become steeper and rocky, and finally the track abandons efforts to sidle and drops to the Harkness River – now a couple of meters wide. Some 20 crossing follow – most of which can be hopped across with dry feet intact, but near the end there’s one which always catches me out. Fill your boots! The route should be navigable in all but extreme rain,

The track junction (on the western bank at the major forks) for the turnoff to Harkness Hut is signposted.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Above the forks and track junction, the track to Tussock follows the valleyfloor for the first 2-3km, crossing the creek numerous times. The creek is small, but wet feet almost guaranteed. It is unlikely the creek would be uncrossable except in the worst of weather.

The steep, rocky and scrubby valleysides slowly soften and transition to tussock, and finally the track climbs the western face and leaves the creek below. The remaining scrub soon ceases, and we enter a broad valley of gently sloping tussock. A further 2km on well used poled track on the western valleyside leads to the head of the valley, where Tussock Hut site across the now-small stream.