Distance: 10.2 km (4.0 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 716m to 1225m. Gain: 576m. Loss: 637m . Gradient: 7 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

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

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

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

From Cascade Hut, a signpost points downstream for Clements Mill Road. The track soon drops to the Cascade River, which must be forded at its confluence with the Tauranga Taupo River. The track sort-of abandons you here and you are left to wander down flats on the eastern side of the river in scrubby flats, for about 1km. Finally, upstream of the former Stanfields Whare site (now gone) a good tramping track starts, leading downriver through mature bush on the eastern bank.

The next sidecreek must be crossed (knee deep in normal flows).

The track then climbs a spur to reach pt1159 - steep at first but gentler later on. A couple of minor peaks follow before the weel-marked, cut track swings north into the Hunemaiaia Stream. This is crossed (minor) before the track sidles the western bank for a couple of kms of ups and downs. This section drops into one steep sidecreek, which it follows down without any track markers for 100m before emerging on the far bank.

From here the track is good, crossing back to the eastern bank on a bridge for a final kilometer to the roadend. Good campspots exist at the roadend, and this can be a popular spot on weekends.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description