Distance: 2.4 km (1.5 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 272m to 610m. Gain: 74m. Loss: 359m . Gradient: 10 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

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

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

From the Papanui Hut turnoff a good marked / cut track runs west over Papanui Highpoint and follows the ridgeline SW into the creekbed north of Waihua Hut. Note that several other traplines (yellow triangles) branch off this track, most notably at the corner 600m NE on Papanui, so take care to stick to the main track.Once in the riverbed, follow the stream downriver for 300m or so (small, unlikely to flood except in extreme weather). Just before the start of a short gorge, a track joins from the NE which leads to The Pines / Te Tawa highpoint. The junction is not well marked but has old permolat markers and is about 50m upriver of the first pool of the gorge.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the base of the Te Tawa/Pines track, continue north up the riverbed (small, unlikely to flood except in extreme weather) for 300m, to the first sidecreek on the true left (east). Just upriver, between the two creeks, a marked (permolat / triangles) track starts and climbs the spur NE to the ridgeline above. The track circles east to Papanui Highpoint. 200m beyond is a saddle where the ridge and track swing north. The junction is not marked, but an obvious track drops east here into the head of the Opakau Stream 100m away, where Papanui Hut sits in a large clearing.