Track from Atiwhakatu to Mitre Flats Hut

This is one of my least favourite tracks ... that said it's not actually _hard_ as such. A reasonable, steady climb from Atiwhakatu to the saddle, then it sidles forever along the face towards Mitre Flats, climbing and falling numerous times in the process. There's one section where it crosses a creek which was washed out and involved crossing a tricky slip 5-or-so years back, but that was greening over and becoming stable last time I visited and no longer a problem. So: a well marked, easy to follow track. Not technically challenging. But lots of (seemingly unnecessary) ups and downs. Allow longer than you'd expect for the distance travelled.

Ok thanks also which way would you say would be the most eaiest way to get to mitre flats hut? from mt holdsworth road-end or from waingawa road-end?

Undoubtedly from Waingawa Roadend (The Pines). It is an easy 3-4 hr trip following the river. From Mt Holdsworth you would need to travel to Atiwhakatu hut then onto Mitre Flats.

Walked this in january and i have to say Im with madpom. Im also not a fan of walking DOC well prepared pathways very hard on the knees. I would take nzbazza's suggestion.

I'm also with what madpom said. I usually like the Tararuas because up or down, I tend to feel as if I'm getting somewhere. That bit between Atiwhakatu and Mitre Flats is just a sidle that repeatedly goes up and down to no great effect, slippery tree roots and the like but nothing especially difficult as things go. The washed-out creek unnerved me a little overnight after the first time when I was on my own because I hadn't bothered to check what it was like going back the other way, but as soon as I did that it was fine. Boring would be an apt term, but having to walk it 5 times in a space of a month or so might also have had something to do with my impression. The up-side was that having gone that way so many times, I managed to get a nice series of photos of the new Atiwhakatu Hut being built and the old one being thrown on the bonfire.

what about the track from mitre flats to cow creek hut?

Pretty typical tararua track beside the waingawa river about 3-4 hrs travel between Mitre Flats and Cow Creek. Nothing particularly noteworthy from memory. What trip are you planning Keil?

on wednesday my original plan was to go from holdsworth road end to mitre flats and then out waingawa road end on thursday, no one can drop me off or pick me up so i have to take my car and leave it at holdsworth and somehow get from waingawa road end back to my car so i just decided to change my plans and go from waingawa road end to mitre flats hut and then to cow creek hut on thursday and back out waingawa on friday

Hi Keil. I've never gone in at The Pines (which is Upper Waingawa Road), but if it helps I wrote up a trip from Kiriwhakapapa Road (then up past Blue Range Hut), down to Cow Creek Hut and on to Mitre Flats, then out at Holdsworth the next day. http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/334 Once you hit Atiwhakatu Hut the track's extremely well maintained (because it's part of the Holdsworth/Jumbo look from which the Wairarapa conservancy gets something like 2/3 of its hut ticket revenue, so I hear), and for some reason there are about 10 completely different designs of foot-bridges along that section. We spent some time in the Waingawa River on the way to Mitre Flats, but went back to the track because someone without full boots was getting very cold feet. Just be cautious, including on the track, if there's lots of rain. There are a number of side-creeks coming into the Waingawa that might be uncrossable if they're up.