Distance: 10.8 km (6.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 359m to 718m. Gain: 1091m. Loss: 966m . Gradient: 11 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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 (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

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

An old, abandoned NZFS track runs across the tops from Casino to Saddle, in places remarked for stoat / possum trapping purposes.

Dropping east from Casino to the creek, take the spur on the upstream side of the small forks. A pink triangle marks the starts of the route. Yellow and pink triangles lead up the spur and all the way to the ridgeline 200m west of pt724. The main markers swing north here - leave the marked route and head 100m south before swinging east again towards pt724. Occasional yellow triangle persist as far as pt724 where they stop completely.

Between pt724 and pt689 the route is unmarked except for very occasional permolat, but follows the ridgeline between these points. Some map & compass skill is required to select the correct direction to descend off each highpoint as the ridgeline is not obvious through the trees. Going is scrubby above the 700m contour, and N-S sections have moderate windfall.

Between pt689 and the saddle 50m west of the hut, occasional yellow triangles and flagging tape again mark the route which follows the ridgeline. Going is quite good through open bush with some windfall.

The track/ridgeline enters a clearing at the saddle between Mangawai and Kahutapere streams. A small DOC triangle on the NW corner marks the start of a short track descending 50m to the hut.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

An old, abandoned NZFS track runs across the tops from Casino to Saddle, in places remarked for stoat / possum trapping purposes.

Follow the track west from the hut for 50m to a clearing at the saddle between Mangawai and Kahutapere streams.

Between the saddle and pt689, occasional yellow triangles and flagging tape again mark the route which follows the ridgeline. Going is quite good through open bush with some windfall.

Between pt724 and pt689 the route in unmarked except for very occasional permolat, but follows the ridgeline between these points. Some map & compass skill is required to select the correct direction to descend off each highpoint as the ridgeline is not obvious through the trees. Going is scrubby above the 700m contouyr, and N-S sections have moderate windfall.

Occasional triangles start again at pt724, leading west then 100m north to the unmarked highpoint 200m west of pt724. Here a good marked route is encountered. Follow it east (yellow and pink triangles) where it drops all the way to the creek via the spur just upstream of the hut. Crossing the creek, a makred DOC track climbs the opposite valleyside to Casino Hut, which sits in a clearing on the spur between the forks.