Distance: 1.7 km (1.5 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 1054m to 1540m. Gain: 486m. Loss: 0m . Gradient: 17 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Streams (2/6) Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)

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

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

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

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

Snow/ice underfoot (difficulty: 2/7)
Snow/ice likely on track

This is the classic route from Hikurangi Range to Waterfall Hut. From many angles the head of Pinnacle Creek often looks eroded and dodgy, however there's a nice line right through the middle, that is straightforward so long as you locate the correct entrance. Coming up just follow the main watercourse.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

There is a green DoC sign on the ridgeline that says Waterall Hut 1.5hours. Locate this before descending directly.
As of Jan 2020 - descend directly from sign. Small amount of scree on both sides once you get down a bit - both good to use. Once the water course starts forming, keep to TR, where there is ground trail through low vegetation. Stay on TR, taking care to cross rocky slide, before dropping steeply to where stream enters on TR. From then walk in stream bed, with some sidles on TL around steeper drops in the watercourse. Creek joins the Kawhatau just upstream of the hut - indicated by large cairn in the riverbed and orange triangle up the bank on TR.