Distance: 2.7 km (1.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 1056m to 1270m. Gain: 102m. Loss: 305m . Gradient: 9 deg (Gentle)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) Winter - Iceaxe/crampons (4/7)

Unmarked route, clear (7/9)
Unmarked route, follows obvious geography (river, spur, trail, etc)

Primary, unmapped (2/5)
Route not on maps, but is principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

Alpine weather (difficulty: 2/7)
Tramp on open tops, exposed to alpine weather

None (difficulty: 1/6)
No unbridged river crossings

Iceaxe/crampons (difficulty: 4/7)
Ice axe and crampons required in winter

Steep, narrow ridgelines, so take an ice-axe at a minimum in snow / ice.

From Rupae a well trodden route drops north to the scrubby saddle with Hines. This first saddle is the worst of the section to Massey and can be a painful bash through knee-high leatherleaf.

Heading north from Hines, we’ve temporarily left the leatherleaf behind - good open ridgelines over Kareti on a vague ground trail. The summit of Massey Know is coated in thick scrub, and is best approached by skirting the scrub by sticking to its east, then cutting west to the summit.

At Massey Knob the main range swings abruptly west, though a broad ridge also continues north towards Conical Knob and Ngamaia.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Heading south from Massey Knob, we’ve pretty much left the leatherleaf behind - good open ridgelines south over Kareti and Hines on a vague ground trail. The saddle between Hines and Rupae, however, is again thick with knee-high scrub and not much fun.

At Rupae, the cairn-marked track from Herepai Hut joins from the east. For those wishing to spend the night, Herapai Hut is on the ridgeline 2km (30-40 mins) down this track - a rapid descent to 700m, but a harder climb in the morning!