Distance: 9.6 km (4.0 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy terrain
Altitude: 510m to 780m. Gain: 350m. Loss: 161m . Gradient: 3 deg (Flat)
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

Flat (difficulty: 1/5)
Flat

Easy (difficulty: 1/5)
Grass / prepared surface

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

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Note: there is no bridge across the Pass Burn. Do not attempt to take this track if has been raining heavily as the ford half a km south of Passburn Hut will be impassible. This route guide uses the Mavora Walkway, which in early 2026 was much easier than the old cattle track adjacent, which follows the boggy valley bottom and has become extremely overgrown.

From Taipo Hut cross fields northeast of the hut and a couple of small lakes to make your way to the Pass Burn/Pond Burn Saddle. 3 km north of the hut the track splits into two routes to Greenstone Hut. Keep to the left-hand one, which climbs the valley wall through scrub and soon reaches open beech forest as it enters public conservation land. The right-hand track becomes poorly marked, boggy, and indistinct.

The Mavora Walkway track sidles above the valley floor, leaving the beech forest to descend to the river through an area of open scrub and rocks. Cross the Pass Burn — less than knee deep in average summer flows after some overnight rain — and follow the track past the junction with the faint cattle track, and continue through beech forest to Greenstone Hut.