Distance: 1.9 km (1.0 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 499m to 674m. Gain: 63m. Loss: 195m . Gradient: 8 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

Tramping track (4/9)
Cut, marked tramping track: natural, rough ground surface

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

The Punga Track starts immediately over the fence, on the top of the ridge. It’s thick with tall tussock at first, and takes some nosing around to pick up the track, but is clear and well cut (2014) through the low regenerating bush beyond, once you find it.

Once on the track, it’s easy going. The track is well cut, though not marked. After about 300m (halfway to pt686) the track forks. Taking the left fork, the track soon exits the bush and is well cut through thick shoulder-high scrub to pt686. Here it swings due east along the ridge for a further 500m to ‘the rocks’. It then drops back into native bush, heading steeply down the ridge between the first two creeks draining into the Miro. The track is well marked for this descent all the way to the creek, which it crosses before following the small ridge on the far side for a short distance east to the hut.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the Hut, follow the cut marked track to cross the small creek just upstream. The track climbs steeply north up the face, well cut and marked with tape. Once on the tops it swings west through the leatherleaf (cut) to pt666 before dropping NE to reach the forestry at a fence.