Routes
Huts / campsites
Roadends
Summits
Passes / crossings
Scenic features
Junctions
DOC Land
Altitude: 20m to 138m. Gain: 189m. Loss: 72m . Gradient: 1 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)
(From remotehuts.co.nz) Ben Monk (Tel: 03 751 0899) farms the River flats up to the Otoko confluence and likes folk going through to ring and let him know. The route is up the TL and is a mix of easy grassy flats and shingle riverbed sections. It is possible to cross and recross the River at low flows to get a straighter line, but this doesn't make a huge difference to travel times. There is a small bluff on the TL just below Stew Creek and depending on River levels and the lie of the channels, it may be possible to pass under it, as it certainly was in June 2014. If this isn't possible there is a cut and cruise-taped trail over the small bluff that drops into Stew Creek up a bit from its confluence with the Paringa.
There is a locked hut belonging to Ben on the TR of Stew Creek. A track commences by the shed here and goes up the TR of Stew Creek for around 500m before cutting South through open grassy meadows and patches of forest to connect with the Paringa River a couple of kilometres above the Otoko confluence. From here to the Hut it is mostly track with several short sections of river travel. A large unnamed side-creek around an hour up from Stew Creek would be problematic to cross if it was high. The tracked sections are mostly across fairly gentle terraces with a silver beech canopy and crown fern (piu piu) understory. The River is stunningly picturesque, with beautiful clear water, and large still pools and mossy boulders. Serpentine Creek has blown out and there is a fair bit of windthrow in it. The track restarts on its TR up from where it flows into the Paringa. From here it is an easy 15 minutes to the Hut Allow 1.5-2 hours from the Bridge to Stew Creek, and 2.5-3 from there to the Hut.