Distance: 2.2 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 1015m to 1562m. Gain: 557m. Loss: 11m . Gradient: 15 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Secondary, unmapped (4/5)
Route not on maps, an alternative recognised access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Continuous moderate climbs

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

Alpine weather (difficulty: 2/7)
Tramp on open tops, exposed to alpine weather

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

From the grassy clearing at the end of the Scott Creek track cross the main branch of Scott Creek coming down from the south, and after crossing a low hill, cross the branch coming down from the north. A low gully snakes it's way north, to the east of the northern branch, and it provides decent travel all the way up until you are to past a large rocky outcrop above the 1200m contour. I had read about following animal trails up through the scrub on the climb northwards, but this gully was mostly scrub free so perhaps that is on the ridge further east.

From where the gully ends, the small tarn on the map just below the 1300m contour lies just the other side of a low ridge and looks like it had some good camping both north and south of it.

Follow obvious slopes northwestwards up into a scree filled gully. Bluffs at the head of the gully are bypassed on their western side, at the top of which is the large, broad Scott/Upper Kowhai saddle. The tarn, which has some limited camping, at the head of Upper Kowhai Creek is couple hundred metres away on the northern side of the saddle.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description