From Mangahau No2 Reservoir to Burn Hut via northern track
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Distance: 5.2 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 321m to 790m. Gain: 485m. Loss: 136m . Gradient: 7 deg (Moderate)
Skills:
GPX info source: Drawn on map

The Burn Hut track starts by crossing the #2 dam, to a well tended ‘lawn’ on the far side. The track then meanders down the Mangahao valley in tall, mature bush. Sometimes by the river, often climbing and sidling, narrow, slippery. In low flows the riverbed is faster – if you don’t mind wet feet.

We cross another Rangiwahia-style arching bridge, and reach the start of the climb. As with the Ruahines, the climb starts very steep, real effort required to get up and over the truncated vertical face of the spur. Once on the spur proper, things improve – the track being now merely ‘steep’. 300m of constant gradient follows to where the spur flattens off. Then a descent – hard-won altitude discarded – before another gentle climb to the tops. Vegetation thins to scrub then solid leatherleaf, the hut now visible at the saddle 2km to the south. The track, however, continues east – a wide canyon carved through a sea of leatherleaf. Climbing to pt798, we then finally swing south towards the hut for a long, gradual descent to the saddle.

Created by: Madpom on 2015-06-20. Experienced: 2014-03-19
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