Stevens Burn to Lake Herries to Iris Burn Route

Madpoms's NZ Route guides has a route/description from the Delta Burn to the Iris Burn: http://www.routeguides.co.nz/routes/1658 Maybe there's a way up to Lake Herries from the Stevens Burn, then around the western side of Lake Herries and out of the creek that flows into the NW arm of Lake Herries and over? Possibly up through [here](https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-45.339145,167.364092&z=15&pin=1) then north to pt1624, from there north, then down near pt1423 into the head of the Delta Burn. Possibly also [up through here](https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-45.343097,167.374134&z=15&pin=1), though there seems to be a band of bluffs before it gets easier. The eastern and northern sides of Lake Herries look completely impassable without a packraft, as does most everywhere else between Lake Herries and the Delta Burn. Aother place worth having a poke around is the LINZ aerial imagery of the area: https://basemaps.linz.govt.nz/@-45.3443627,167.3738036,z15.73 Talk to [Stan Mulvaney](https://mulvanyadventures.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-quest-for-lake-herries.html), he's spent a bit of time in that area by the look of it. Re-consider the no packraft plan? If you had a packraft and a rope, it looks reasonable travel over to the Delta Burn if you could get to the end of the [NE arm of Lake Herries](https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-45.352025,167.386837&z=13&pin=1).

@Ian_H Thank you for your insights and information. My initial thoughts were exactly same as yours. That is, impassible on the east side and "over the open tops at the head of the Delta Burn" comment suggests pt1624 but then "up through here" point you mentioned would qualify more as moderate terrain and more doable. I've already looked at Iris Burn - Delta Burn connection including George Burn - Lake Cecil - Fowler Pass - Lake Minerva - Lake Freeman section for the rest of my itinerary. I've also read about Stan Mulvaney's pack-rafting option, which suggests there's absolutely no way on the east side which I was hoping for, but I'll check with him for ideas.

Yeah, the Linz imagery makes it look like going up to that [lake south of pt1509](https://basemaps.linz.govt.nz/@-45.3420550,167.3750176,z15.64) and then over to the head of the Delta Burn would be a reasonable route. Once you're at that lake, getting down into the Delta Burn seems straightforward.