Distance: 20.5 km (9.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, hard - Moderate-hard terrain
Altitude: 853m to 1217m. Gain: 195m. Loss: 381m . Gradient: 2 deg (Gentle)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Prolonged rivers (4/6)

Unmarked route, hard (8/9)
Unmarked route, no clear geographic features to follow

Secondary, unmapped (4/5)
Route not on maps, an alternative recognised access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Tall, walkable scrub / large rocks, occasional waterfalls or gorges in rivers

Occasional scrambles (difficulty: 3/7)
Tramp with some scrambles and exposure to falls

Prolonged rivers (difficulty: 4/6)
Frequent river travel - impassible after rain, risk of getting trapped

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Note: this route involves a crossing of the Macaulay and walking in North East Gorge Stream. Do not enter the gorge if the stream is high or if heavy rain is forecast.

This route provides access to Alma Col, a straightforward pass in the Two Thumb range that is longer, but a little easier, than the route over Balaclava Saddle/Plata Col.

North East Gorge Stream is a spirited body of water that runs through a scenic gorge. Multiple sources (including the NZAC) state that access to the TL is by permission of Mt. Gerald Station — but this information appears to be outdated, as on WAMS the land on both sides of the stream is part of Mt. Gerald Conservation Area and Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park. There supposedly also exists a cut track on the TL, however, I was not able to locate this.

From Macaulay Hut, make your way downstream, crossing the Macaulay River (sluggish and shin deep in low, mid-summer flows) towards the North East Gorge Stream confluence (10km and about 2 hrs from the hut). 4WD tracks and good gravel flats make for fast travel.

Turning into North East Gorge Stream, the valley walls soon narrow to a gorge with many open sections — rather than one continuous canyon, the stream flows over boulders and some small waterfalls, through a series of steep banks that sometimes become small cliffs. Walking in the stream is very possible in low flows (the deepest crossings are thigh deep but often swift) and pleasant on a hot summer day.

Several particularly deep and narrow sections (where the water is chest deep or deeper) can be sidled on either bank with climbs of 40, 60, or sometimes 80 meters. Some larger waterfalls and boulder-y sections can also be sidled. Unfortunately, taking a higher line did not make for better travel — these sidles inevitably entered thick scrub, including dense thickets of matagouri, or tedious fields of talus, so we always opted to give up the height we had gained and return to face the stream.

Navigating North East Gorge Stream is something of an exercise in patience. The repeated sidles and problem-solving in the water seemed to go on and on, and my tramping partner and I had to be mindful of how our mental fatigue was affecting us as the day wore on. Perhaps if we had located the elusive TL track, things would have been easier. However, on a bluebird day, North East Gorge Stream is a beautiful walk, and it is not overly technical, just long. The stream is extremely scenic, and even as we grew tired and cold — the narrow valley begins losing the sun early, even in summer — we were appreciative of the beauty around us.

The stream does become slightly more open and less gorge-y as it climbs — after Pt. 1055 things get slightly easier, and after a short waterfall/boulder section around Pt. 1103, the rest of the way to Trojan Stream is straightforward.

Camping is possible on small flat, scrubby terraces next to Trojan Stream on the TL. More favourable terrain is available about 200-300 vertical meters further up Trojan Stream, if you have the energy for the climb. At the end of a beautiful but somewhat trying day, we did not.