Queen's Birthday weekend - Whirinaki?

Sounds like a great trip. I don't think it will be too busy that time of year, but you never know if there is another group around. It'd be wise to have a tent incase but I doubt anything will be crammed.

Hi I live in Minginui, just near the track start. Long weekends can be the busiest times on the Whirinaki tracks but if Easters use levels are anything to go by there won't be a big rush. Do take a tent in case. Also you might like to think about doing the walk in the opposite direction. Go to Mangamate first then Upper and Central and out. It just means that your last day is the longest walk(17km)but it is on an all-weather track so that there is less chance of being held up should the weather turn bad. If you are going from Upper to Central via the "Cave" route it might pay to check with DoC as to the state of the Cave to Upper section. I think they have done some work on it recently. Otherwise you will double up and walk a bit of the Taumutu stream twice.

Thanks for the advice folks. Much appreciated. Will consider route directions. As far as I know the section you mention is still closed but will check with DOC.

An update after the fact - we did the circuit from River Rd to Mangamate, Upper Whirinaki, Central Whirinaki and out to River Rd again. Track times were very optimistic, we took much longer due to lack of track markers, many stream crossings, lots of windfall and slips. I suspect DOC hasn't updated their information in a long time. But all good fun.