Distance: 8.4 km (9.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 212m to 1424m. Gain: 504m. Loss: 1626m . Gradient: 15 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

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

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

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

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

The Kaherekoau main ridge is a beautiful, wide, undulating zig zag along the crest of the range that rises between Lake Hauroko and Lake Monowai. Travel is mostly straightforward, often on tussock and snowgrass, and a good boot path is often present along the top of the ridge. There are occasional patches of scree, and some of the knobs are rocky, requiring short scrambles or simple sidles. A few of the tallest knobs (Pts. 1481, 1402, and 1446) are quite bluff-y and better sidled or avoided by descending to basins below the ridge.

From Pt. 1338, follow the main ridge up and down to Pts. 1360 and 1204. After Pt. 1216, the main ridge becomes quite steep and rocky as it rises towards Pt. 1402, with a few gendarmes and bluffs. To avoid this section, descend at approximately Pt. 1216 towards the basin below and to the west, staying high to avoid the swampy floor. Aim roughly for the stream that feeds the diamond-shaped tarn below.
To reach the basin above, one can either sidle below the rocky bluffs on the SE face of Pt. 1402 and climb the rocky gut where the stream runs as a semi-waterfall, or climb through the bluffs. I picked the waterfall as it looked less exposed, but in retrospect either way would have probably been fine. The waterfall turned out to be a straightforward scramble of about 60m.

After gaining the upper basin, walk around the round tarn and climb, aiming for the saddle near Pt. 1360. Follow the ridge north over some patches of loose scree and a couple narrow ledges. The imposing Pt. 1481 looks climbable, but a previous trip report warned of being bluffed out, so I sidled it on the western flank at about the 1400m line. The sidle was a long, somewhat steep, but straightforward walk on tussock, snowgrass, and surprisingly supportive scrub, with occasional more exposed sections of scree.

Continue north along the main ridge to the saddle at Pt. 1276, then descend into the basin to the north, and follow the higher ground through the group of tarns at the bottom to Pt. 1177. From here, the descent to the Electric River is straightforward, through mostly open beech forest down a steep hillside. Lower down, as the gradient eases, the bush becomes thicker and travel slows, but the river is thankfully soon at hand.

The Electric River was a straightforward crossing. I crossed near where it breaks into two braids around a small island. In moderate flows after recent rain in late December, I found it thigh deep but not too fast-moving. On the TL bank are mossy, open terraces where it is possible to find a plush, flattish campsite.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description