Triangle Hut > Te Hekenga

Came down there about a year ago. Following the ridge directly from Te Hekeunga to Triangle Hut there's a reasonable cut track though the scrub to the beginning of the mature bush. Seem to recall that you were pretty-much on your own once you got into the bush - no markers or cut track, but that it was good going and an obvious ridge to follow, except for the last bit to the hut being steep. Certainly a good route. Also was certain I'd updated the Triangle Hut info on this site to show this and other route details - but it's not there now. Puzzling!

Yep, very doable as long as you're comfy off the main routes. I wrote it up from 2008 at http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/88 Around paragraphs 13 and 14'ish.

thanks MP and Izogi - @ Izogi - knew i should have checked windy gen first :) - any thoughts on time (average) to go up from Triangle ??? thanks - and while we are here - Thoughts on Triangle > Te Hekenga > Tiraha > Ohuinga > Paemutu > Tussock > Waterfall Hut - doable in a day ?? cheers -

Hi mrfizz. I'm not sure about going up, except that it took about 3 hours to come down (three years ago). It looks about a 700 metre climb so if it's you by yourself and you're reasonably fit, I guess you might get up in about the same time, or possibly less. There'd probably be less messing around with navigation when going up. If you're heading around Te Hekenga towards Sawtooth, don't go over the top of Te Hekenga. There's about a 10 metre vertical drop off the top facing south-east if you're trying to head that way, which isn't significant enough to show on the topo maps. Climbers might enjoy them with a rope or two, but personally I wouldn't. It's easier to drop down the side of the ridge a few hundred metres west of the peak (which is where you'd be coming from), and sidle across the slips on the southern side. Sawtooth's generally straightforward, I think. In a group it looks like it took about 1.5 hours, maybe allow 2.5 from Te Hekenga, and from memory I think we were going very slowly because several people were sick. (I wrote that up at http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/97 ) I haven't been over the bit between Ohuinga and Paemutu, but I've come to Paemutu from the other direction, and there's a scree gut just south of Paemutu that drops into Tussock Creek which you can eventually follow to Waterfall Hut. Just make sure you don't go past Paemutu and end up in Waterfall Creek, 'cos I hear there's a waterfall which is very difficult. (I haven't been in there, though.) I wrote up that one at http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/321 (maybe about the 9th paragraph onwards, from Paemutu down to Waterfall Hut.) Checking some photo timestamps, it looks as if we started dropping down the scree about 1.30pm, and arrived at Waterfall Hut about 4pm, so maybe 2.5 hours in good weather with a reasonably fit group? Hope that helps.

Hi Izogi - thanks so much for the info - sounds doable - will read those (your) links too - for more background - thanks :)