Distance: 3.0 km (1.5 DOC hours) - Marked route - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 706m to 1316m. Gain: 610m. Loss: 15m . Gradient: 12 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Streams (2/6) Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)

Marked route (6/9)
Uncut route, with markers normally within sight

Primary, unmapped (2/5)
Route not on maps, but is principal 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

Occasional scrambles (difficulty: 3/7)
Tramp with some scrambles and exposure to falls

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

Snow/ice underfoot (difficulty: 2/7)
Snow/ice likely on track

If ice is on the pass you will require crampons, especially if you continue down the western side.

From Waipawa Forks Hut, drop back to the river and head upstream on the flat, shingle riverbed. Going is flat and easy for the first kilometer, though ideally a few river crossings are made (ankle-knee deep in normal conditions, can flood after rain). After 1km the gradient of the riverbed increases and it becomes increasingly rocky. But it is still a good route with no real bouler climbing required.

About 800m before the saddle a forks is reached and DOC triangles mark the start of a steep scramble up the spur in between the main creek (south) and a side creek (north). This is steep going through beech and scrub for a bit, but after a few hundred meters you emerge onto tussock faces, and sidle them, climbing, to the pass. The route is poled and there is a good ground trail above the bushline.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the saddle follow the poled route ENE into the head of the Waipawa valley, dropping then sidling onto the north faces. The track cuts ionto a spur dropping from the east, and drops to the bushedge. Here a rough cut track starts, marked with triangles but steep, scrubby and a real hands-and-feet scramble in places. The track drops to the riverbed at the forks 800m from the saddle.

From here you follow the riverbed down. The first kilometer is steep over large rocks, but reasonable, open travel down the small streambed. For the last kilometer to Waipawa Forks Hut a broad shingle valley opens and it is easy walking down shingle flats, though with a few creek crossings required. The creek at this stage is ankle-to-knee deep, but can flood after rain.

Triangles on the southern bank mark the start of the track climbing to Waipawa forks hut. The track north onto the Sunrise ridge is 100m or so further up river and also marked by triangles.