Here be dragons… This journey takes you into the wild West Coast, where the mountains are serious and the travel uncompromising. But the rewards are high too, with spectacular scenery, dense forest, schist bluffs, deep gorges and high tops.

Choose fine weather. This is not a trip to approach when the forecast is bad. The huts, mostly two to six bunk, are nicely spaced, but having some form of tent or fly will be very useful.

The route

The trip will take about five days, and begins in the lower Hokitika River along the lower Whitcombe Valley track. At Frews Creek it leaves the Whitcombe, and heads up over Frews Saddle into the very head of the upper Hokitika River.

The Main Divide at Mathias Pass is easy to reach on a side trip from here if you want. The marked route descends the upper Hokitika to forks with Mungo River, then heads up valley to Toaroha Saddle. The trip finishes with a descent of the whole Toaroha Valley to the road.

The Toaroha is particularly scenic, with slot gorges, upper flats near Top Toaroha Hut and at Cedar Flats lower down there is a good hot pool beside Wren Creek. The Department of Conservation describes this track in reverse in a useful online brochure, Toaroha, Hokitika, lower Whitcombe Track. More information can be found on the Remote Huts website.

One of the features of this trip is the opportunity to see rare native birds in their own habitat. Whio (Blue Duck) live in rapid streams and rivers, curious Kea, or mountain parrot, wheel and cry on the tops, and Tuke (Rock Wren) bob on boulders in the tussock.

The upper Hokitika River flows down an old glaciated tussock basin before plunging almost 500 metres in a distance of one kilometre to meet the Mungo River. Bluff Hut is well named and anchored to weathered old stable bedrock, with expansive views across to the Diedrichs Range. On the way down, you may notice rock crevasses cutting deeply into the hillside.

Snow sits on Main Divide peaks here all year, though by early autumn not much may be visible.

Need to know

This route is all tracked and major crossings bridged, but that doesn't mean it is easy, and getting through will leave a high sense of achievement. There is quite a bit of streambed travel in places, and being nimble on your feet amongst the boulders will help immensely.

Summer and autumn are the best times for this trip, when there is unlikely to be snow on the route, the weather is usually more stable, and stream levels are easier to negotiate. One thing to be aware of is that near the beginning of the trip there is a cable cage crossing of the Hokitika River near Rapid Creek Hut. This is fine for two or more people, and it is designed to be managed alone, but in practice this will be very difficult for some to manage alone. Travel with a friend or two.