Moonbeam Torrent in the Waitaha valley

The Waitaha is one of the West Coast's more rugged (and more rewarding) valleys.  If the Milford track is at one end of the development spectrum - the Waitaha valley is at the polar opposite of valleys with tracks. 

DOC struggles to find the resources to maintain the facilities and has an understanding with Permolat who organise volunteer work parties every few years to keep the tracks open.  But none of the side creeks are bridged.

So in anything other than dry low flow conditions, all the unbridged creeks like Moonbeam become  serious potentially lethal challenges. In that sense its the same as the Milford. 

See the photo on Flickr; even better - go see it for yourself.