options for Iron Gate hut

If I were walking this in uncertain conditions, I'd be heading to Triangle first for the night, and back out via Iron Gate. The river crossing at Triangle from the tops is _almost_ always doable. From Triangle, downriver to the up and over track is in-river travel with multiple crossings for a bit under 2km. This section of river has a bit less than half of the flow of the river at Iron Gate. The hardest bit is normally the gorge just below Triangle Hut - if the river is low enough to get past that then it's ok as far as the up & over track. Crossings are knee to thigh deep, generally, in a slowish flow. http://routeguides.co.nz/routes/xrv513xrv514 Walking the trip in reverse means, as you say, that you are presented with the hardest crossing just at the end of day 1 and without it can't reach your planned hut for the night. With experience of the river, by looking at the river at Iron gate, I could judge whether it would be doable up to Triangle. A raging torrent - forget it. A bit too much to cross comfortably - probably ok. But without experience of the river, that call would be hard. To compound the decision, there are good campspots above/opposite Iron Gate, if required, but none at the top end of the up-and-over track, which drops straight into the river. Janet, who runs the volunteer stoat trappers, has a rule of thumb for the cumecs flow reported for the Oroua to judge if the crossing at Iron Gate will be ok. I'll email and see what that number is.

I've been nearly flooded in at Triangle before, and it's a bit of a hole because it's hard to go anywhere when that happens, although if you can get over the first creek it might be possible to get up to Te Hekenga for whatever use that is at the time. We made it out because there was a fallen tree over the main river, followed by some awkward steep bush bashing back up to the main l track. This was a few years ago and things could easily have changed since then and I'm happy to bow to other people's greater experience with the area, but if it looks bad on the way to Iron Gate then I wouldn't necessarily assume it'd be any easier getting to Triangle. Going back to Rangiwahia would be a preferred option in my view.

Oh, and I just read @madpom's explanation. He's probably more reliable than me. :)

You see why I want to exercise caution

For comparison here's what an overnight of night of rain did for us outside Triangle Hut between a Saturday night and a Sunday morning. Unfortunately I didn't note how much rain it actually was, and it probably would have gone down within a few hours after the rain stopped. On this occasion we found a place where we could get across the closer part, which still didn't feel terribly sensible in hindsight, then upstream of the other one there was a fallen tree. Otherwise we'd definitely have waited it out. Unless it's moved, the main track leaves downstream from the confluence (left of these photos) and goes straight up the spur. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2313/2306437063_c3d8b64796_z.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2008/2306446215_73c03c14c0_z.jpg

When I was last at triangle the water was a little higher than your first picture but not much. That second picture can only call for a dignified retreat. You are correct on where the track starts but this might be a sidle round the first gorge which is described in Madpoms route guide as the way to go. It would be pretty foreboding and anything above normal flow.

Came up this route on the 30th of May. From Iron Gates hut I crossed the river 3 times, the deepest was to the bottom of my shorts and I am not tall (5'2 or 158cm). The route through the bush has rat/stoat traps along it and the odd bit of pink tape. It is roughly cut through the scrub. On the 30th the snow was melting and not an issue apart from being wet. With the current weather I suspect it will be mostly all gone at that altitude soon unless there is another dump.

thanks On a side note many years ago (pre85) I did a easter trip with the wtmc to Iron gate then triangle then back over the tops. I cant remember where we started from but there was a long swing bridge straight from the car park. Which road end was this and is the bridge still there?

Answer re Oroua river flows: "Hmm - I usually say a max flow of 8000l/s at Almadale Slackline on a falling river - definitely not if it is rising. I need to go across linked up at this flow crossing at the point near the deep pool - ie as far up as you can go on the true left heading up from IG or more or less directly across as you meet the river coming from Triangle. I find further downstream to be more of a challenge. No doubt very strong parties can cross with a bit more water. The waterline phone is 0508435663 or look at the web site. The river falls (and rises) very quickly up there."

not an expert here, but they measure the Kawarau in 'cumecs' sp? its the standard for water flow