Distance: 3.9 km (5.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, hard - Hard terrain
Altitude: 597m to 1044m. Gain: 310m. Loss: 451m . Gradient: 11 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Continuous moderate climbs

Hard (difficulty: 5/5)
Thick scrub-bash / continuous river boulders, waterfalls, or gorges

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

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

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

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Follow the Pohangina river downstream for about 1.5km. When you reach the slip, head up the side stream on the true right. About 50m later there is a fairly tall but climbable waterfall.

After than, get on the spur when practical and follow it until the 1000m contour line. There is no marker or obvious ground trail but this section of off track travel is straightforward.

Once you reach the 1000m contour line you will get closely acquainted with tall and thick leatherwood. No obvious or practical way to get through, some crawling, scratching and navigation involved, and it will be slow. Aim for the saddle, where you'll find more leatherwood to squeeze through in order to get down a small gut.

As you make your way down, the gut will become larger and more open, and travel will get either and faster. Follow Piripiri stream. As of February 2026 there were fresh slips and debris in the stream, but nothing impassable. Piripiri hut can be approached from the top, but there is no obvious ground trail and some nav is required.

A trip report for this route is available on the WTMC website.