From the Sunrise carpark, a poled 4WD track (walking only allowed) crosses farmland for 200m to the park boundary. Dogs are not permitted (they can head up the Waipawa river instead though, with appropriate DOC permits), and fierce signs ban just about everything else too.

On reaching the park boundary, barren poor grazing land is replaced by lush bush, and the 4WD track continues a further 200m to a signposted track junction. Triplex Hut lies 100m to the north down the 4WD track.

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From Triplex Hut, head south to join the Sunrise Track 100m away, and follow the 4WD track out to the poark boundary. 200m of poled track across farmland follows to the Sunrise Carpark, with dogs strictly banned.

From the Waipawa Hut turnoff, the broad, platformed Sunrise Track sidles the northern face of pt952 before dropping to the flats below in a series of graded zigzags. The gradient is gentle, and the track is broad, good and well used.

100m after crossing a small stream, an old 4WD track is reached, and a signposted track junction points to Triplex Hut, 100m to the north off the main Sunrise Track.

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From the track junction 100m south of Triplex Hut, a good, popular benched track climbs the spur towards Sunrise Hut on an easy gradient. The broad track zigzags its way up the face on a steady gradient through mature bush., later sidling the northern face After 2.5km (1.5km from Triplex due to all the zigzags) a signposted track junction is reached, with the benched, broad Sunrise Track continuing up the spur, and a more basic tramping track dropping south-west towards Waipawa Forks Hut.

Benched track

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Benched track

Severe ice/snow conditions may require ice-axe / crampons owing to the exposure to falls to the east.

A well travelled, poled route drops SSE from Armstrong Saddle towards Sunrise Hut, passing atop some spectacular sheer slips. It reaches the bushedge 100m before sunrise in a saddle, and then climbs slightly to reach the palatial Sunrise Hut, which is hidden from view on the eastern side of the spur.

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From behind Sunrise Hut, a marked track runs north up the spur, soon emerging onto rocky tops. A poled route continues the brief climb to Armstroung Saddle, passing some spectacular slips to the east. The saddle is the junction with the Ruahine main range route (not signposted) and has a small tarn for water.

An unmaintained track climbs from Armstrong saddle to Te Atuaoparapara summit for spectacular views.

From Armstrong saddle, follow the track west towards Top Maropea Hut for 600m to where the track starts to drop north, and the ridgeline swings SSW. Follow the ridgeline SSW along a rough ground trail, dropping to a saddle and then climbing the pyramidal peak beyond. The trail up the lower section of the climb is indistinct - but at a push you can merely follow the ridgeline up. A ground trail becomes clearer higher up, cutting briefly onto the eastern face (don't go too far, you'll hit slips) before climbing to the first summit above.

Te Atuaoparapara is the second of two summits, and the views are spectacular.

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From Te Atuaoparapara , head north over the lower peak, and follow the ridgeline NE, descending steadily towards the saddle below. The track becomes less distinct as the face gets broader, but a good trail does exist through the sparse scrub lower down. After the saddle the trail becomes clear again, climbing to the next unnumbered peak where it joins the track from Top Maropea Hut, swinging east for 600m to Armstrong Saddle. A tarn at the saddle provides water.

The descent sidles the southern face, and in spots is marginal without ice-axe. I'd take one.

Dropping east from Rongotea, the route is poled with a good ground trail to the bushedge. The bush is open, and the track well marked, and well cut. The track passes Wakelings hut 20m before it reaches the Waikamaka River.

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The track climbs SW from wakelings hut through good open beech forest. Once above the bushline it is poled and well defined as it follows the spur east to Rongotea highpoint.

From Crow Hut, cross the swingbridge and follow the track upriver. The track drops into the riverbed to sidle below bluffs - this section was in-water when I visited with a bit of meltwater around, could become impassable after heavy rain. Sidles, if possible, looked scrubby.

After crossing the 1st sidecreek upriver, triangle mark the start of the track proper. This climbs east up the spur upstream of the sidecreek. A steady climb through mostly open bush - good going to the bushedge.

Above the bushedge, the track emerges onto a narrow, steep, exposed spur. A couple of very steep sections were tricky in soft snow, and an ice-axe at a minimum was required in winter. Once above the scrub the spur gradually becomes wider and the potential falls recede.

Attaining the summit of the Mokai Patea plateau you find yourself on broad tops of tall tussocks. Occasional warratahs give hints of where to go, but the track has little or no ground trail. For those heading towards Wakelings or Rongotea highpoint, swing SW for 500m along the untracked tops, pass a small tarn and climb to the rounded summit of Rongotea.

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From Rongotea highpoint, drop NW along untracked tops passing a small tarn. Occasional warratahs exist, but the track is not well defined. After 500m the ridge broadens to become the Mokai Patea plateau. Round the head of the 1st southern sidecreek, and get onto the spur. Once on this you will pick up a good ground trail and frequent markers. The track is cut through scrub but very steep and exposed above the bushline. A fall would be bad, and an ice-axe at minimum is recommended in winter.

Once in the bush a good track runs down the spur to meet the Kawhatau River 300m above the hut. Sticking to the true right, round below some bluffs in the riverbed, and pick up the track again on the true right bank. This climbs and sidles, before crossing the river to the hut over a swingbridge.

From Crow Hut, cross the swingbridge and follow the track upriver. The track drops into the riverbed to sidle below bluffs - this section was in-water when I visited with a bit of meltwater around, could become impassable after heavy rain. Sidles, if possible, looked scrubby.

After crossing the 1st sidecreek upriver, triangle mark the start of the track proper. This climbs east up the spur upstream of the sidecreek. A steady climb through mostly open bush - good going to the bushedge.

Above the bushedge, the track emerges onto a narrow, steep, exposed spur. A couple of very steep sections were tricky in soft snow, and an ice-axe at a minimum was required in winter. Once above the scrub the spur gradually becomes wider and the potential falls recede.

Attaining the summit of the Mokai Patea plateau you find yourself on broad tops of tall tussocks. Occasional warratahs give hints of where to go, but the track has little or no ground trail. For those heading towards Wakelings or Rongotea highpoint, swing SW for 500m along the untracked tops, pass a small tarn and climb to the rounded summit of Rongotea.

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From Rongotea highpoint, drop NW along untracked tops passing a small tarn. Occasional warratahs exist, but the track is not well defined. After 500m the ridge broadens to become the Mokai Patea plateau. Round the head of the 1st southern sidecreek, and get onto the spur. Once on this you will pick up a good ground trail and frequent markers. The track is cut through scrub but very steep and exposed above the bushline. A fall would be bad, and an ice-axe at minimum is recommended in winter.

Once in the bush a good track runs down the spur to meet the Kawhatau River 300m above the hut. Sticking to the true right, round below some bluffs in the riverbed, and pick up the track again on the true right bank. This climbs and sidles, before crossing the river to the hut over a swingbridge.

An relatively easy route in low flows for most of the length. Travel is all in the river - there are limited options for sidling.

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Easy river travel in low flows. LIkely impassable in heavy rain

Steep ascent. Track in great condition.

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From the Sign at Pt1625, the poled route drop down to McKinnon is short and sharp before easing off to reach the hut on the bush line.

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Reasonably easy walking along Hikurangi Range. The odd section of thigh deep tussock, but mostly much shorter and easier going.
The odd Cairn exists and the odd evidence of a trail from other people and/or deer.

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East travel along the tops. Big tarn (and baby tarn) tucked into the Eastern slope.

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From the sign at Iron Peg, follow faint ground trail SE along top of Hawkes Bay range, dropping down to a saddle at the top of Iron Peg Creek, before climbing steeply up the other side to a trig (not shown on map). Several large tarns are along this route. The ridge narrows up before the head of Pinnacle Creek, but is easy to negotiate. A sharp left turn leads to the eroded section just before the saddle into the Creek. This is best negotiated by stepping down the first rocky section, then using the slip on the Southern face to cross below the eroded section. We dropped down approx 5-10m to some tussock clumps, where we sidled on a slight downhill to the other side of the scree. I have negotiated this section twice this way. Climb back up the tussock to regain the saddle and sign pointing to Waterfall Hut.

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This is the classic route from Hikurangi Range to Waterfall Hut. From many angles the head of Pinnacle Creek often looks eroded and dodgy, however there's a nice line right through the middle, that is straightforward so long as you locate the correct entrance. Coming up just follow the main watercourse.

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There is a green DoC sign on the ridgeline that says Waterall Hut 1.5hours. Locate this before descending directly.
As of Jan 2020 - descend directly from sign. Small amount of scree on both sides once you get down a bit - both good to use. Once the water course starts forming, keep to TR, where there is ground trail through low vegetation. Stay on TR, taking care to cross rocky slide, before dropping steeply to where stream enters on TR. From then walk in stream bed, with some sidles on TL around steeper drops in the watercourse. Creek joins the Kawhatau just upstream of the hut - indicated by large cairn in the riverbed and orange triangle up the bank on TR.

From Rangi Saddle, a poled / marked route descends WSW towards Rangi Creek, becoming better defined as you descend. Once in the beech this si a marked, though rarely cut track.

Reaching Rangi Creek, head downriver in the gravel riverbed, crossing as required (small stream, ok in most conditions, but could flood in extreme rain). On reaching the main Kawhatau River, turn south up broad flats. The best travel is on the western bank. Waterfall Hut is hidden in the bosh on the eastern bank. A DOC triangle marks the start of the track to the hut.

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From Waterfall Hut, head downriver - the easiest travel being on the western bank. Head east up the broad, flat bed of Rangi Creek for about 1km to the small gully which drains Rangi Saddle. A DOC triangle marks the start of a rough, steep track climbing to the saddle.

From Waikamaka Hut, head up the creek to the south towards Rangi Saddle. This starts as a riverbed route, but a cut, marked track later appears, crossing the creek a few times until it reaches the bushedge. From here there are no (useful) markers, follow good ground trails up the creek, often sidling low on the western bank, but avoiding climbing more than 15m above the creek. 150m NE of Rangi Saddle the creek forks, and a steep, speargrass-covered face climbs to the saddle itself. Warratahs mark a route, but do not coincide very well with the faint ground trail. Riven the thick speargrass, follow the ground trail, if you can find it. Hard - painful going to the saddle.

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From Rangi Saddle a fain ground trail drops down the guts of the face to the NE, through thick speargrass. Warratahs confuse, more than help. Once at the forks in the head of the creek, follow the creek down, initially on the wetsern bank some 15m out of the river, later crossing to the east. A cut, marked track finally appears when you hit the bushedge, and criss-crosses the creek for a few hunderd meters before depositing you on the gravel rivcerbed. Follow this to the forks at teh hut.

Waikamaka Hut is reached by a short track some 20m up the eastern fork, signposted on the southern bank.

A good poled route descends west from Waipawa Saddle to Waikamaka Hut.

Follow the warratahs west off the saddle, following a steep, narrow spur between two tributaries of the stream. There are some narrow, nervous scrambles at one point, after which you cross the southern fork of the creek atop a waterfall, and descend a tussock face to the river.

From here you are left to follow the small stream downriver to the forks at Waikamaka Hut. The stream is small and poses no risk in normal conditions. In flood conditions you may be able to sidle the southern bank, though it would be tough and scrubby.

A signpost, 10m before the confluence, marks the track ascending 20m to Waikamaka Hut on the southern bank. An old run-down biv is also located on the northern bank.

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From Wakiamaka Hut, ascend the riverbed to the 3rd fork shown on maps. Here look out for the start of a warratah-marked track climbing the southern face. This climbs above a waterfall, crosses to a narrow spur between two forks of the creek, and follows it up to the saddle. Some parts of the climb are scrambles on the narrow spur.

If ice is on the pass you will require crampons, especially if you continue down the western side.

From Waipawa Forks Hut, drop back to the river and head upstream on the flat, shingle riverbed. Going is flat and easy for the first kilometer, though ideally a few river crossings are made (ankle-knee deep in normal conditions, can flood after rain). After 1km the gradient of the riverbed increases and it becomes increasingly rocky. But it is still a good route with no real bouler climbing required.

About 800m before the saddle a forks is reached and DOC triangles mark the start of a steep scramble up the spur in between the main creek (south) and a side creek (north). This is steep going through beech and scrub for a bit, but after a few hundred meters you emerge onto tussock faces, and sidle them, climbing, to the pass. The route is poled and there is a good ground trail above the bushline.

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From the saddle follow the poled route ENE into the head of the Waipawa valley, dropping then sidling onto the north faces. The track cuts ionto a spur dropping from the east, and drops to the bushedge. Here a rough cut track starts, marked with triangles but steep, scrubby and a real hands-and-feet scramble in places. The track drops to the riverbed at the forks 800m from the saddle.

From here you follow the riverbed down. The first kilometer is steep over large rocks, but reasonable, open travel down the small streambed. For the last kilometer to Waipawa Forks Hut a broad shingle valley opens and it is easy walking down shingle flats, though with a few creek crossings required. The creek at this stage is ankle-to-knee deep, but can flood after rain.

Triangles on the southern bank mark the start of the track climbing to Waipawa forks hut. The track north onto the Sunrise ridge is 100m or so further up river and also marked by triangles.