D15- Kotepato hut to Tawa hut

It wasn't the best sleep I've had with the kids talking shit all night, playing with a flashlight and asking me stupid questions. The same continued in the morning, resulting in a quick breakfast and early start.
Following the track back downstream, i bypass the gourge and cross the Waioeka back into farmland, this time following the sighn to Nikau.
Following the farm track, it turns into another benched pack track siddleing the river. Its well maintained and easy walking. After crossing major side stream, a slips washed away the track. There's a monument to a tramper who fell trying to cross. However, theres a steel wire been recently installed and its easy to cross. Shortly after the track drops down to Nikau Flats hut- 6 bunk, open fire and tank.
It's become apparent that I've been putting too much food in my resuplys. Ive still got bits bought in Ruatoria. With a clear forecast for the next 5 days i might aswell shed some weight sooner rather than later. Leaving a days worth of lower shelf items in the hut I've still got easily enough for an extra day.
The track stops at Nikau, but theres a possumers track bypassing the first two crossings, which are apparently quite deep. After that its the riverbed all the way. Despite it being a decent sized river, the crossings are all easy, knee to waist deep and on shingle not bolders. They're seperated by rapids and countless deep clear swimming pools. The walking is on shingle or grass, the forest mature tawa with occasional podocarp, ferns and palms. It's probably my favourite bit of the trip yet. One bluffed in section appears to require a difficult scramble or a long swim, but from a higher veiw there's a shingle bar running up the middle, and its an easy waist deep with deep pools either side. 
At the major forks Koranga stream forks SE and Kahanui stream SW. Koranga forks hut is located where they meet. The huts are coming in quickly now. There's a tank, woodburner, 6 bunks and at least 10 people, presumably there to see in the new year, lukily im not staying.
Heading up the Koranga it much the same, just smaller, having lost most of it's flow at the forks. It's another 10km up to Tawa and by the end im starting to tire. The vally becomes narrower and the shingle bolders. Checking the gps im only halfway and consider a night in the bivi, tho camping spots are running out quickly.
Eventually reaching the forks where Tataweka forks to the SW, theres a sight for sore legs. A large arrow points to a well maintained pack track siddleing the true right. Its a few switchbacks to reach but worth the climb at the end of a long day. A conservative sighn says Tawa hut 45 mins, but i knock it 25 despite being at the end of my tether. Tawa hut is a standard nsfs hut with a tank, burner and 6 bunks. Only difference its white and has slatted windows. And I've got the place to myself, removing any obligation to attempt to keep my eyes open until midnight.