Distance: 3.5 km (2.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 802m to 1704m. Gain: 902m. Loss: 0m . Gradient: 15 deg (Moderate)
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, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, 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

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

From Smiths Stream Hut, climb the cut, marked track to the track junction on the spur above. Continue up the track climbing the spur which is well marked all the way to the bushedge. From here continue up the spur over tussock and rocky tops. The route is not marked.

The trig at the summit marks the junction with the main NS Ruahine main range route.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

An unmarked route drops down the spur from pt1715 (trig AA6G4) towards Smiths Stream Hut. Careful navigation is required in poor weather to select the correct spur dropping south, 400m east of the peak. At this point, pass a small rock outcrop and look immediately to your right (south) down a spur. A waratah is located 5 to 10 meters down this spur and a second is a further 5 to 10 meters down. This is the spur you need to follow. It is quite broad swinging left (south east) after around 400 to 500mt . Waratahs are every 75 to 100 meters or so. Nearer the bush line the route zig-zag's and the odd orange triangle can be seen at ground level. Overall, there is a faint ground trail.
Occasional cairns help, but are not sufficient to follow on their own.,

Once at the bush edge, a marked track commences and follows the spur down. This was well marked, but slowed by windfall in 2013, but has reportedly been cut since. As the spur narrows just above the hut/forks, a track junction is reached. A route drops north into the northern fork of the stream (for the route to Waipawa roadend) and another dropping steeply south off the spur to Smiths Stream Hut.

Smiths Stream hut is on the track, 20m above the river.