D14- Tokenui hut to Kotepato hut

The rain stopped as quick as it started and it's another dry morning. It's a further km up the Tokenui to the major forks where a large triangle points up a steep spur. There's a well marked track up it to the ridgeline which it siddles before droping down another spur to the next stream.
Its an easy walk downstream though broad flats. Theres a few good campsites in here if you needed them. Theres a doc sighn and an arrow making the route out. It looks initially steep but turns out to be another historic road bed. This time maintained. It gradualy switchbacks up the otherwise steep face. Once over the top it sidles a small stream to the road, the final section passes through waist deep blackberry, which might put some people off heading north.
At the bottom a bridge to nowhere (not the bridge to nowhere) provides access to the Manganuku campsite. Its popular with vehicle based campers and its heaving. I've already seen more people than on the rest of the walk put together. There's designated fire pits (looks impossible to cook on), swimming holes (you'd have to que) and a $10 fee. Its the sort of place i passionately avoid.
It also marks the end of the Urutawa's and the start of the waioeka. Whilst a good step down from the Rakumara, the Urutawa's been more of challenge than expected. Following the remains of anchient roads put in in the early 1900's has been intresting but sometimes confusing.
The next five kms down SH2 aren't the most instesting. The traffics in full flow
Heading to gissy for new years. Its the first vehicles ive passes that haven't stopped for a chat, to offer ride, or even a 20 minute yarn with the ute idling. Statisticly its probably the most dangerous part of the trip. You could walk the whole way through the gourge beside, but it looks challenging and would require a few swims. Turning left onto wairata road, its 1.5ks to wairata station where I've left my next food stash.  After crossing the bridge i head down redpaths road to the gate and carpark. From here the track passes through private farmland and permissions should be sought from Mary Redpath, Wairata station. At the end of the track a sighn points to Nikau hut up the river and Kotepato accross the river.            The Waioeka is a big river, however it's wide, shingle and easily crossed. The Kotepato stream starts in a gourge where there's a chest deep section to wade and big bolders to scramble. I find a well marked track on the true right which likely bypassed the gourge. Its a further 10- 15mins upstream to the hut.
Kotepato is an old nzfs hut with a new deck added. There's 6 bunks, water tank and an open fire. There's noisy kids in residence and not the most pleasant night.